Forest for the Trees
by Dommi-chan
Summary: Not everyone can see what's in front of them until it's too late. VRslashtacular Updated 72505: How is Richie handling things? I'm going to go with poorly...
1. Prologue: Sticks and Stones

Forest for the Trees

Static Shock fanfiction a-go-go

Sometimes, you can't see the forest for the trees. At least, not until it's become part of a slash-and-burn outfit. A fact that Richie and Virgil are about to learn the hardest way possible.

The bulk of this story is set during the end of their senior year of highschool. There are, of course, some interludes and flashback sequences because...well, I like them. If it takes place out of the present, I'll let you all know, I promise.

Overall I'd give this a TV14-TVMA rating. (HA! The MPAA won't let me use their system, then fine I'll just move on to the FCC's for television. Next up, videogames.) There's cursing, confusion, jealousy, betrayal, dancing, sex, lies, videotape, and Hawaiian pizzas. Oh, and of course my OTP of interracial dorky gay...Ebon/Hotstreak. I am _just kidding_. But if you don't like slash, maybe you should read something else?

Time/Warner, DC/Milestone, Dwayne McDuffie, and many other people with lawyers own lots of people in this. I am clearly not anywhere on that list.

Prologue: Junior Year of High School, sometime around Spring Break

"I don't get it."

"Hm?"

"I said I don't get it."

"Get what?"

"How the hell you can eat _that_!" Richie Foley pointed to his friend's sardine on wheat sandwich with a disgusted look on his face. "Dude what are you, like, pregnant or something?"

"What are you talking about? It's good!" Virgil smiled as he munched happily. "Mmmmmm," he said as he pushed the sandwich into Richie's face.

"Uh, okay." Richie looked horrified as he pushed the plate away. "Freak."

Virgil just rolled his eyes. "This from the man who eats pineapple on his pizza."

"Oh don't even. You can't even compare the sheer glory of my Hawaiian pizzas to that foul, fish-covered creation you are currently ingesting. That's apples and cats, bro."

Virgil swallowed and raised an eyebrow. "Apples and cats?"

"Yeah. Like apples and oranges, only…more so. Even more of a 'there's no comparison' thing." Richie often felt he was wise beyond his years.

"And you are calling moi a freak." The other boy shook his head, as he often felt Richie was full of shit. "Freak."

"Psht, whatever." The remote was grabbed and the television turned on. "So what's it gonna be? _Versus_ or _House of Flying Daggers_?"

"_House_. We've already seen _Versus_ like 70,000 times." He picked up a sardine that had escaped the sandwich, and leaning his head back, swallowed it slowly. "Besides, then we get the added bonus of the hotness that is Zhang Ziyi," Virgil added as he sucked the juice off his fingers.

Suddenly uncomfortable watching his friend, Richie concentrated on cleaning his glasses. He shrugged and said "Eh. She's all right, I guess."

"All right? Dude, what are you talking about? She's gorgeous and could kick both of our asses faster than you can say 'Zap Cap.' What's not to love?"

"She's just…not my type, is all."

"Yeah, but do you even have one…a type, I mean." Virgil was thoughtful, the movie all but forgotten. "'Cause Frieda wasn't your type, Daisy wasn't your type, Nina wasn't your type, Jenny wasn't your type, and now Zhang Ziyi isn't your type."

"…What's your point?"

"I'm just saying that either you're really picky or… Oh! Wait, you're into someone and have been holding out! That's it, isn't it?"

Richie closed his eyes for a moment. "Even if I was, they still wouldn't be my type, V."

"Well, what is your type then?" Now the curiosity had really kicked in. Crap. "Is it the Tyra Banks type? The Scarlett Johansson type? The Lindsay Lohan type?"

Richie sighed. What the hell? This conversation was apparently determined to happen tonight, so why fight it?

After all, the worst Virgil could do was…never speak to him again.

He hunched his shoulders. "The…um…Hugh Jackman type."

"Oh, word. He was pretty badass as Wolverine wasn't…" Virgil's voice trailed off.

_Oh_.

"Um…oh."

"Yeah. Oh." Richie was biting his nails, as if he was bracing himself against some type of fallout.

"Rich…" Virgil stared at his best friend, who suddenly reminded him of a scared little boy. This must have been chewing him up inside for a while, because he was terrified. Which Virgil naturally could not stand for. "Man, it's okay. Really."

"It…is?" Richie looked at him in disbelief.

"Yeah. There's nothing wrong with being gay." Virgil put a hand on Richie's shoulder. "You're my best friend. That's all that counts."

"Yeah, well…" Richie cleared his throat a few times, then smiled and in a soft voice said "Thanks, V."

"No problemo." Virgil smiled brightly back. "'Sides, it's not like you wanna date me or something."

The smile suddenly felt frozen on Richie's face. "What?"

"Well because you know, that's like me wanting to make out with Sharon." He shuddered at the mere thought. "You know, it'd be all weird and whatnot. I'm your best friend, not the man you wanna sleep with, you know?"

Far more amazing than his electro-magnetic powers was Virgil's ability to make completely broad comments that somehow managed to both miss the point and answer unasked questions at the same time. An ability that, under normal circumstances, got somewhat irritating for the people that knew him.

In this particular situation, Richie honestly couldn't decide if he was in anguish or just pissed off. He decided that being a bit of both wasn't out of line, and noticed that his hands had unconsciously balled into fists. _Well, that answers that, then, doesn't it_, he thought bitterly.

"You know, I'm not feeling so hot all of a sudden." He stood up, grabbing his bag. "I think I better go."

"But, the movie…" Virgil was confused. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Just a headache," Richie lied, ignoring the pain that started in his chest and spread throughout him. "Think I'll go home and get some rest for once."

"Um, sure. I'll walk you out."

"I'm cool, Virg. I'll see you later." Richie shut the door harder than he would have normally, leaving behind a very perplexed Virgil wondering what had just happened.

-----

Once he had turned the corner, Richie had run the whole way back to his house and all the way up the stairs to his bedroom. He closed and locked the door behind him and lay flat on his back on the bed.

Damn it. Just…God damn it.

Okay, yeah he had pretty much always known that he was gay or whatever. And yeah, he and Virgil were a lot like brothers in a lot of ways, even though he'd been aware since just before the Bang that he had more than just friendly feelings for Virgil.

And yeah, when he saw Ragtag trying to suck Virgil's life essence dry, maybe he had realized that he was in deep shit love with his best friend.

Yeah, and maybe part of him had always been afraid to admit all of that because having Virgil as a friend…it was so much better than having nothing at all. It was just better to keep quiet. Easier.

But, there was that part, that stupid, stupid part that had always…hoped. So, maybe he had thought that Virgil maybe--just maybe—could have held him or kissed him or something.

Maybe Virgil could have loved him back.

Instead, he had shattered his hopes like a baseball through one of the gas station windows.

Which was weird, because it had almost sounded like Virgil wouldn't be with him because of the fact that it was _him_ and not because he was a _guy_. Which he had totally expected the latter but the former…actually, that made it hurt a lot worse, so dwelling on it wasn't a really good idea.

God he sounded like a girl. Then again, he felt like he was going to cry like one, so why not right?

He rolled over onto his left side and sighed.

Well, one good thing would come of this. He definitely knew now that there was no chance. Which meant that there was no reason to ever say anything about...stuff.

Even better, there was no reason to hold on anymore.

He could let go. He could move on, come out or whatever, find someone who would love him the way he deserved, still be best friends with Virgil, still be Gear. Have his cake and eat it too.

He could…actually be happy.

But at that moment, Richie Foley wanted to just lay on his bed with the jagged shards of what only an hour ago was his heart.

-----

_Sticks and stones will break your bones, but words can break your heart._

-----


	2. Chapter One: Tip of my Tongue

Look at me putting up two chapters at once. Hooray! I failed to mention last time that each chapter has a cliche in it. It was going to be song lyrics, but then I realized if I was naming a story after a cliche, I should go with that. Plus this way I can't get in trouble or whatever. ;;

Hope you're all enjoying this. Unfortunately, it's gotta get worse before it gets better...

* * *

_Chapter One: March of Senior year_

"So, bro, what're we doing tonight? I figure since Sharon's gonna be at Adam's all weekend, we can do an all night Romero flick fest." Static and Gear flew above the North Dakota Park, eyes staying alert for even jaywalkers. It was a bit of a slow night. Scratch that...it was so slow even Backpack seemed like he just wanted to go home and recharge itself. Anything but searching for trouble that clearly had more interesting things to take care of.

Gear hesitated. "Um…maybe tomorrow. I've kinda…got something I need to do."

"Oh, come on. It's Friday night! You are seriously not telling me you're staying in on a Friday night." Virgil was appalled at the mere thought. "Come to think of it…you've been scarce the last couple Fridays, haven't you? And some other times too…"

"Yeah…it's…a prior commitment I can't get out of." Gear seemed…uncomfortable. Why would he be uncomfortable?

"What, are you cheating on me?" Static asked jokingly. If it fell short, his partner didn't notice.

"Don't be stupid." Gear rolled his eyes. "I just have other plans, that's all. Why don't you see what Frieda's up to? I know Daisy's got that whole mock UN thing this weekend..."

Virgil looked thoughtful. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Haven't hung with her in a while." He felt kind-of bad; he and Richie always had such a good time together just the two of them, it didn't occur to him to invite anyone else along. "Yeah…I'll definitely give her a call."

"Word. Well, here's my stop. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Static nodded. "Awesome. Peace!"

"And out." Static watched his friend fly off for a minute, a thoughtful look on his face.

-----

"You're kidding, right?"

After getting home and changing out of his uniform, Virgil had immediately called Frieda to see what was going on.

"No I'm not." She sighed impatiently. _Men_. "I think it'd be fun, and if I go with you, then I won't get hit on every ten seconds and can

just have a good time and dance for once."

Every Friday night, a popular nightclub called Visualize opened its doors to the still in high school set. It was a great way to help keep the kids off the streets and simultaneously boost their cash flow and clientele.

Frieda went there just about every weekend. She loved music and she loved to dance, and therefore she loved clubbing more than any sane person should.

Or so Virgil felt, anyways.

"Man…I don't know, Frieda. You know I'm not big into the music they play there."

"Who cares as long as it has a good beat? Besides, what else are you gonna do…sit at home watching _The Notebook_ with your best friends Ben and Jerry?"

Virgil blinked a few times. "Wow, Frieda, that was…harsh."

"Thank you." He could practically picture the grin on her face. "That mean you're coming?"

"Yeah, I'm coming. Just give me some time to clean up first." He started surveying his wardrobe.

"Yay! Virgil, you're the best! I'll pick you up in forty, kay? Bye!" And with a click, Frieda hung up the phone.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

-----

The club was packed almost full by the time they arrived, the line outside resembling more of a fashion show than the last threshold before being able to dance until curfew.

Due to Frieda's near-constant attendance, the bouncers recognized her and it enabled them to bypass the line. They checked their coats, and headed into the club proper.

Kids their age were all packed onto the dance floor. Visualize was always a good mix of all of the different Dakota schools, and tonight was no exception. There were crowds at the bars buying refreshing (non-alcoholic) drinks. Everyone was out in full-force.

Virgil had been to Visualize once or twice before, but he never really had that good of a time. He loved to dance and he loved crowds, but something about an atmosphere like that made him feel exposed and slightly awkward.

Frieda, meanwhile, was reveling in it. "God I love it here…you want to dance?"

"Sure. It's why we came, right?" The two had to shout to each other, the loud thumpa-thumpa of music making normal conversation almost impossible.

She just grinned and grabbed his hand, leading the way. They found a place towards the middle of the crowd, and quickly commenced with the shaking of their groove things.

During the latest by Daft Punk, Frieda became distracted. She kept looking at something over Virgil's shoulder, throwing her movements off beat.

"What? What're you looking at?" She just pointed and he turned, taking a look for himself.

"Is that Richie?"

Yes, as a matter of fact, it was.

His back was to the pair, but Virgil would have known him anywhere. He and Frieda weren't dancing anymore, but just watching their friend from across the room.

"What is he doing here?" she asked.

"Dunno. Guess this place was his 'prior commitment' or something." Virgil squinted. "He by himself?" The thought of Richie coming to a club alone was…well, weird, frankly.

"Can't tell…let's go say hi!" Virgil nodded, and once again Frieda led him by the hand, only to stop short. Before he could ask what the hold up was, he looked and the smile quickly vanished off of his face.

Richie was dancing with a guy about their age, with really dark hair in a spikey, almost faux-hawk cut. The guy had his hands around Richie's waist and Richie had his arms around his neck. They were dancing pretty close.

Okay, they were _really_ close. And from the way their eyes were locked, they might as well have been the only two people in the room. The dark haired boy said something into Richie's ear and Richie smiled and moved even closer.

"Who's the hottie?" Frieda raised an eyebrow.

"Don't know." Virgil, for some reason, found himself frowning. "Let's find out. Richie! Hey Richie!" He waved his left arm to get the blond's attention. Only instead of Richie noticing, the dark haired boy pointed to him and whispered something else to the blond. Richie squinted at the crowd, finally spotting Frieda and Virgil. He whispered something back to his companion and the pair met them halfway.

"Hey guys! I wasn't expecting to see you here!"

"Obviously." Even though he was yelling over the music, Virgil's voice was strained. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, right. Didn't mean to be rude…guys, this is Simon. Simon, this is…"

"Frieda and Virgil, right?" Simon shook hands with Frieda, a warm smile on his face. "Nice to meet you…Richie's talked so much about you, I feel like we've already met and hung out a hundred times or so." He extended his hand to Virgil, who promptly ignored the gesture.

"Well, gee, I wish we could say the same." Virgil's eyes never left his best friend. "Unfortunately, someone's been keeping a few things to himself."

Due to how long they had known him, the subtle edge to Virgil's words made Richie raise an eyebrow and Frieda flinch. Simon just dropped his hand and gave Richie a quizzical look.

"So, do you guys come here together often? I haven't seen you around before." The name of Frieda's game was changing the subject and keeping things light.

"We decided to come here after dinner, actually. Sort-of a last minute decision."

Virgil felt his smile harden. Richie was on a date with this kid?

"Oh! Um…we can like, leave you two alone, if you want. We're not trying to cramp your style or anything…just wanted to say hi." Frieda looked a little embarrassed, clearly having come to the same realization as Virgil. Simon just waved her off.

"Don't even worry about it. You guys are totally welcome to hang out with us. Right?" He nudged Richie in the shoulder.

"Yeah, absolutely."

"You sure? We wouldn't want to interrupt anything. I mean, you two were dancing so close a second ago, you were practically inside each other."

Frieda and Simon stared at him in disbelief. Richie folded his arms, his eyes narrowing. Virgil just cringed. Even he couldn't believe those words had just come out of his mouth.

Simon glanced back and forth between the other two boys. "So, Frieda…do you want to go get a drink?"

"Yes, please. Let's um…go to the bar." She practically ran over to Simon. "We'll, um, be back. At some point. Maybe." Shooting Virgil a look that plainly told him to behave, she left with Richie's date.

Virgil could tell that he had really done it. Richie's expression was the "I'm seriously about to kick your ass in three different ways before you know what's happening" face usually saved for criminals. He walked off the dance floor and started heading towards the restrooms. Wordlessly, Virgil followed.

"Rich, look…I…" He was cut off before he could even apologize.

"Okay, what was that all about? What the hell is the matter with you?" They were standing by the men's room door, Richie on one side and Virgil on the other. "I mean, you've said some rude shit in your day, but this just boggles my mind. Seriously, what is your _problem_?"

Virgil started to give an answer, stopping short when he realized he didn't have one. "I don't know."

Richie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. You want to try again?" There was a halt in the conversation as someone walked out of the men's room, giving Virgil some time to reflect.

"I just…I guess I'm just upset that you didn't tell me." It was a good reason. However, something was telling him that it wasn't quite the right reason. He put that notion in his "to deal with later" pile.

"Except I did tell you. I told you I had plans." Or not, because clearly Richie wasn't buying it.

"Yeah, you said you had other plans. You didn't say what they were."

"Well, I didn't know that I had to run any plans by you before making them."

Virgil was taken aback. This was not going right at all. "Dude, you…you don't have to do that. But you've just…you never said anything about…about you having a…a boyfriend." He really didn't like that word all of a sudden.

A lot of the anger had left Richie, replaced by confusion. "Dude, Simon and I haven't hung out that much or anything. He's…he's not my boyfriend."

"But you still…you could have told me about him. Or whatever. I mean it just…it sucked to find out like this. And…I don't want you to feel like you can't tell me things. I don't want us to keep stuff from each other, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Richie looked away from him. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should have, and I was going to. But, well…" Richie suddenly smiled and Virgil followed his eyes to Frieda and Simon at the bar. "I like him, Virg. I really like him a lot. And…I guess I just don't want to jinx anything."

"So, you…do you want him to be your boyfriend?" He really hated that word.

Never taking his eyes off his date, Richie said "Yeah. I do."

"That's great," Virgil smiled. It didn't feel right, but he smiled. "He's …he's a lucky guy. And you…deserve it. You should be happy."

Richie looked at him then, his smile growing brighter. "Thanks. But, you're not off the hook. I mean you really owe Simon an apology." Virgil nodded; he had planned on apologizing anyways. "Come on, let's go meet them at the bar."

After a moment, Virgil took a deep breath and then followed his friend back into the heart of the club.

-----

After a long night of dancing, laughing, and a wrap-up snack at Get Your Grub On, Virgil found himself at home. His Pops was asleep and Sharon at Adam's, so he was pretty much alone. And as wiped out as he was, he couldn't get to sleep.

Simon had a terrific sense of humor and liked cheesy horror movies. He went to a private school and loved science, did martial arts, could play Grand Theft Auto until his thumbs bled, had three earrings in his left ear, and was obviously very taken with Richie.

All in all, he seemed like a great guy.

Virgil couldn't stand him.

Oh, he had been nice and made conversation and apologized for the snotty remark and all, but he just did not like the kid.

Which was okay, right? You can hate your best friend's boyfriend and still be nice. It sucked that he was going to have to just be nice, but it was better than pissing Richie off again.

Virgil rolled from his back onto his left side. His hair fell into his eyes, but he didn't care enough to do anything about it. He was too busy replaying one particular moment at the restaurant in his head.

Frieda had been telling some story about something for the paper and Richie had made a joke. Nothing unusual about that.

But when Simon had laughed, he had put his arm around Richie's shoulders. And Richie had grinned and leaned into the half-embrace. And for the rest of the night, Simon's arm stayed around Richie and Richie absently laced his fingers through the hand on his shoulder.

Like that was how things were supposed to be or something.

He knew that Richie had claimed that Simon wasn't his boyfriend but judging from how they were together…

It appeared to be a matter of semantics.

He finally brushed his dreads out of his eyes, exhaling deeply as he checked the time. The clock read just after three in the morning.

This was ridiculous. He needed to sleep. More to the point, he was being completely stupid.

It's not like the world was ending. So Richie had a boyfriend. So the boy was great. So he was good looking too, Virgil supposed, in an athletic average height dark and handsome guy that could dress well and was really funny and nice kind-of way.

You know…if you were into that type of thing.

Which, Richie apparently was. Granted there was no accounting for taste but still, Virgil couldn't deny that they looked good together. This was not a huge deal at all.

So he finally decided that ordering his brain to stand down, closing his eyes, and going to sleep was the most viable option.

However, when he was finally able to drift off, all he could see was a brown-haired boy put his arm around a blond, their hands intertwining.

-----

_It's right on the tip of my tongue..._

­-----


	3. Chapter Two: Would Have Bit You

Okay, firstly, thanks so much for all of the kind words and reviews! I really had no idea this would be so well-received. So yay for you guys:-D

Now that that's out of the way, a few things. Okay, I love Daisy and Frieda and Sharon. Their roles in this may seem pointless now, but they get more important as stuff goes on. Um...I absolutely suck at writing action sequences. Hence why the one in here is...pretty lame. Which I apologize for. And yes, Richie is fluent in Japanese in this story. If he can memorize insane mathematical things, it would stand to reason he could learn a language in a day too...at least I think so, anyways. sheepish grin

Also, spot the in-joke about Richie and Virgil's voice actors.

Now back to the story!

* * *

_Chapter Two: The first week of April, senior year_

In every high school senior's life, one set of days becomes more nerve-wracking than every other. No, it's not finals week, or the days up to and including the Prom, or even the week of graduation.

It is actually the very first week of April. Also known as the week the colleges write back to their applicants with either a yay or nay.

Daisy Watkins smiled as she looked at the packets from various schools on top of her books. Back in December, her and Frieda had made a promise to wait until they had heard back from all of their schools and open the envelopes together.

Today was that day.

"Daisy! Daisy you're finally here!" Frieda came running up, a huge grin on her face. "Are you ready?"

Daisy grinned back. "Yup, they're all here. Let's go out to the courtyard…it's less crowded."

"Good call!" The two girls quickly ran outside, all excited smiles and giggles. They sat in the shade of one of the trees on the quad, Frieda quickly arming herself with her sunglasses. "Okay, let the records show that I have in my hands I've got Georgetown, Metropolis, Dakota and Gotham."

"And I've got Metropolis, Caltech, Dakota, and Columbia." Daisy looked at her options. "Well…let's do Dakota and Metropolis first, then the ones we have that don't match up."

"Kay!" They tore into the envelopes. "I was accepted to both!"

"Me too!" They hugged each other. "Okay…now the others…"

"Right." Frieda opened her Georgetown and NYU envelopes. "Let's see…well, Georgetown is a no…" She frowned.

"MIT's a no for me, too." Daisy brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Well, I didn't really want to go to Massachusetts anyways."

"Yeah, it's so cold. And Georgetown's in DC which is the cesspool on the Potomac for God's sake." Frieda looked at the other letter. "But I did get into NYU! How about you?"

"I got in…" Daisy dropped the paper in disbelief. "I got into Caltech."

"No way!" Frieda snatched the paper. "Daisy, that's your first choice! I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah, I can't believe it." She really couldn't. Sure her SATs and her grades were good, but this was _Caltech_. After MIT said no, she was sure that she wouldn't be accepted.

"Well, don't just sit there like a statue! Are you going to go?"

"I think so. I have to talk it over with my folks but yeah I'm pretty sure I will." The shock was giving way to unbridled joy. She was going to Pasadena! California! "Hey, do you think the boys have heard back from their schools?"

Frieda nodded. "Yeah, I think Virgil said something about it." Her smile faded somewhat. "As for Richie, who knows? He's been really tight-lipped about this whole thing."

Daisy sighed. "Yeah he has. I've bugged him about it like seventy times!"

"I think he's just playing things by ear. You know, maybe he doesn't want to say anything if he doesn't know for sure what's going on. Plus, he's got Simon now, and if he applied anywhere far off...well, that kinda complicates things."

"Yeah, I guess." Daisy brushed some stray hair out of her eyes. "They're pretty serious, then?"

Frieda sipped her latte. She couldn't function in the morning without her Starbucks. "Mmhm. It's been like a month almost since they became official."

"Since who became official?" Virgil dropped his bag next to the girls, a box of doughnuts under one arm. He'd never admit it, but he was just as bad as Daisy and Frieda were with gossip. Richie often commented that the three of them were as bad as a sewing circle.

"Richie and Simon," Daisy answered after a moment.

"Oh. Them." Virgil was very interested in the box suddenly. "Entenmann's Apple Crumb Cake doughnuts? They are awesome."

"Thanks!" Daisy grabbed one of the sweets, offering the box to Frieda.

"None for me thanks; Dr. Atkins would never approve." Frieda went back to her coffee. "Where is the Boy-Toy Wonder this morning?"

Virgil shrugged. "He'll be here. Something about running an errand before school."

"Cool." The girls shared a look. "So that's something about him and Simon isn't it?"

Virgil leaned up against the tree. Whenever he thought about or saw Richie and that guy together, he got this weird cold-and-sick feeling in his stomach. He always wrote it off as his distaste for the brunette.

He was also getting really good at writing off that part of him that always tried to say _Uh-uh, sorry but that's not quite it_. So he found it a lot easier to just not think about it at all and go on about his business.

"Yeah, it's something all right." The girls shared another look. And speak of the devil…

"Hey guys!" Richie ran up, dropping his messenger bag and plopping next to Daisy. "Dude, are these Apple Crumb Cake? They're my favorite!"

Virgil's face changed from slightly frowning to bright. "Yeah, I know. That's why I got them. Well…that and they are awesome."

"True, true." Richie cheerfully grabbed two of the sugary cakes. "It's a bit early in the day for scandal. So what's with the holding court on the quad this morning?"

"Daisy and I were just going through the colleges we got accepted at." Frieda took one last sip of her drink. "You guys hear back yet?"

"Yeah. I got into mine although I think I'm gonna go to Dakota. That way I can live at home and save up for grad school." Virgil looked at Richie, who was frozen with a doughnut hanging out of his mouth. "What about you, bro'?"

Richie swallowed and pulled the doughnut out of his mouth. "I, uh...got into all of mine. Including...um...including Caltech."

Daisy's eyes widened. "You applied? And you got in! That's so great...I'd love to have someone I actually know there!" She gave Richie a huge hug, knocking the glasses off of his face.

"Uh, thanks."

"Caltech?" Virgil gave Richie a sideways glance. "You never said anything about Caltech." Okay this officially sucked.

"Well, I really didn't think I'd get in. I mean, it's Caltech."

"Does Simon know about this?" Virgil asked in what was almost a casual tone.

The blond blinked. "Of course not...I mean, my parents know but they sort-of had to. I even kinda forgot I applied..." Richie trailed off. His reasoning sounded half-baked even to himself.

There was a stretch of awkward silence.

Frieda suddenly stood up, grabbing her bookbag. "Uh...hey look at the time, Daisy and I need to get to class."

"We do? I mean, there's a few minutes before the bell..." Daisy looked up at Frieda, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Yes. Yes, we do." She grabbed Daisy, lifting her off the ground so quickly that she yelped. "Later, guys!" Daisy and Frieda waved as they ran off to their respective Spanish and English Lit classes, leaving the boys alone.

"One day she'll learn how to be subtle. One day." Virgil shook his head. "So Richie Foley, if that indeed is your real name, what else do I not know about exactly? Any illegal panda smuggling? Have you been in any porn flicks? You a pirate?"

"V, come on. It's not like I'm keeping stuff from you." At Virgil's withering stare, he quickly backpedaled. "Okay so I've kept like two big things from you recently. I can see how that'd bug you."

Virgil couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You know, I wasn't talking in code at the club when I said I don't want you feeling like you can't tell me something. You know where you go to school is your call." He honestly meant the words and yet he couldn't stop that dumb voice from pointing out he really wanted Richie to stay in Dakota.

"I know. But...somethings you just have to figure out and do on your own, you know?" Richie shrugged. "Part of that growing up bullshit or whatever."

"Ah yes, the ever-elusive growing up." Virgil closed the doughnut box. "What would we do without it?"

"Maintain our sanity?" The boys snickered. Just then, the bell rang. Grudgingly, they got their things together and began to head to their classes.

"We doing the movie thing tonight?" Richie asked as they stopped by Virgil's door.

"Yeah, but Frieda can't make it. Daisy's gonna get the tickets online, so we'll just meet at the theatre around 9:00."

"Okay, cool. I'll text Simon and tell him what the deal is. Later days!" Virgil watched him run off to his class.

"Yeah. See you."

-----

The rest of the day passed in a blur and before Virgil knew it, he sitting at his kitchen table, deep in thought. His Latin book was open in front of him, but he was staring straight at the wall.

It had occurred to him during fifth period when Richie had asked Daisy to get Simon a ticket for the movie that his problem might stem from jealousy and insecurity.

He was probably jealous of Simon because lately Richie and Virgil did school things and they did Static and Gear things, but there wasn't a whole lot of Richie and Virgil things. It's not like they hadn't been through something similar before, when Daisy first came to their school. It's not like Richie didn't get mad over that. And he wasn't really used to sharing Richie, so that's what it could be.

Or he could just be jealous of the fact that Richie had someone and he didn't. He had always told himself that he didn't have time for a relationship, but obviously that wasn't true if Richie was managing it. So he could be jealous because Richie had not only found someone, but had found the time to make it work.

Although it wasn't like Simon was replacing him or anything. Dating and being best friends were totally unrelated so it shouldn't even matter.

Although, his attitude about everything did make more sense if he used jealousy as his motivation. But there was that dumb little voice again telling him he had the right emotion but the wrong reason.

But why else would he be jealous? The answer was right there...he could practically taste it.

"Don't you have a desk somewhere in that disaster you call a room?"

Oh joy. Sharon was home.

"I dunno…you got a muzzle for that humongous trap of yours?"

Taking the seat next to him, Sharon rolled her eyes. "Wow, how amazing. A dog joke. One would think that in nearly eighteen years on Earth, Virgil Ovid Hawkins could have come up with a new routine."

"Okay, one, you _know_ the rule about my middle name. And two, I'm actually not in the mood for verbal sparring today. So, sis, if you don't mind, I'd like to go back to my homework now."

She idly started playing with the ends of one of her pigtails. "Why are you doing your homework at six on a Friday night? Shouldn't you be out with Richie helping old ladies cross the street or cats out of trees or something?"

"He's with Simon." Suddenly his homework was really interesting.

"Oh right, his boyfriend. They've been spending a lot of time together haven't they?" Virgil pulled his book up, covering his face. Verb conjugations sure were fascinating. "Virgil?"

"Yup. Lot of time."

Sharon stopped playing with her hair, her full attention gathered by the irritable boy in front of her. "Pisses you off, doesn't it?"

"No." He dropped the book and sighed. "Yes. It pisses me off a lot. Richie and I never hang out anymore, I hate Simon, and the whole thing just sucks."

She raised an eyebrow. "Have you told him this?"

"Dude, I'm not going to tell him I hate his boyfriend. That's an argument I'm really not prepared to have."

Sharon just shook her head. "Dumbass, I was asking if you've told Richie that you miss hanging out with him?"

"Oh." Virgil ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Not really. I guess I should."

"Well, yeah. Otherwise how else is he going to know that there's a problem?" She went to the drawer where menus and other odds and ends were kept. "Daddy's working late tonight and I am not in the mood to either cook or put up with your crap. You want pizza or Chinese for dinner?"

"Chinese. We had pizza the other night." Virgil pulled out his Shock Vox, trying to decide if he wanted to use the emergency pager or just make a normal call. He buzzed Richie's 'Vox using the normal ring, not wanting to risk making his partner angry. It rang a couple times.

Then it rang a few more.

Then it rang five more.

After fourteen rings, Virgil turned his 'Vox off, a concerned look on his face. "That's weird."

"What is?" Sharon was currently debating the merits of Kung Pao chicken versus Moo Goo Gai Pan. Moo Goo Gai Pan was currently in the lead.

"He didn't answer his phone. He always answers his phone."

"Well, yeah, of course he didn't. He's probably busy right now." It was definitely a Moo Goo Gai Pan night. "You want your usual?"

"Yeah. Busy? Busy doing what?" He put the communicator down on the table, cradling his head in one hand.

"Virgil, I know it hurts but just try to think for a second. You said he's with his boyfriend, right? So they're probably not really paying attention to phones right now or anything else for that matter. Because they're _busy_."

That cold sick feeling was back. "You think they're…" He blinked a few times. "No way."

She just shrugged. "Two seventeen year olds that are dating spending time alone together before meeting up with their friends? Uh yeah, it's pretty much a given." She grabbed the phone to place the order, leaving Virgil to stare at his Shock Vox once more.

-----

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

"Uh, Richie?"

"Mmhm?"

"Is that your phone?"

Richie pulled far enough away from his boyfriend to look him in the eye. Raising an eyebrow, he said "Why, actually Simon, that's my…"

Simon cut him off with a snort. "The ringing, you asshole. Is that your phone ringing?"

"Oh. That. Yeah, probably." He grabbed his hoodie off the floor by Simon's bed where it had landed and pulled the Shock Vox out of the left pocket. He then deftly turned the ringer volume down. "Much better. So…where were we?"

It was the dark-haired boy's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you have seen who that was?"

Richie shrugged. "Probably just Virgil. He's pretty much the only one that calls me."

"Right." Simon sat back against his headboard with a thoughtful look on his face, causing Richie to frown.

"What?"

"What 'what'?"

"What's with that look? That's the Simon Walker-Martin look of 'Something's on my mind but I don't know how to bring it up.' So what gives?"

"…Virgil gives, I guess." He bit his lower lip. "I don't think he likes me very much."

Richie just smiled and shook his head, brushing some hair off the other boy's forehead. "Don't be paranoid. Of course he likes you. I mean, why wouldn't he?"

"Dunno. It's just a vibe I get from him. Like he's nice enough to me, don't get me wrong. It just seems forced somehow. Like he's just being nice to placate you or something."

"Nah. Trust me, Virgil doesn't really do placating. He's pretty blatant when he doesn't like someone. And by 'pretty' I mean 'as subtle as a brick in the face,' of course."

"Of course." Simon couldn't help but smile at that. "I guess I'm just being stupid. I mean…he's your best friend so of course I want him to like me. I guess I just think he feels like I stole you from him or something."

"You can't steal something that comes along willingly. Besides, even if V doesn't like you…well, I happen to be kind-of fond of you." Richie moved so he was straddling Simon's lap, a slight grin on his face. "And that's all that really matters." They kissed. "Isn't it?"

"Mmm. Indeed." They kissed again, quickly going back to where they had been when they were interrupted. They paused only to throw Simon's shirt on the floor next to the sweatshirt.

"Parents?" The blond gasped as his boyfriend starting running his tongue down his neck, nipping at his Adam's apple.

"Not home until after the movie," Simon murmured. "So we don't have to worry about being quiet. Unlike last time when _someone_ forgot to use his inside voice."

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" They shifted so that instead of sitting, they were now laying across the bed. Simon had rolled them so he was lying on top of Richie, mouth not moving from his neck.

"Not really." He rolled his hips and Richie gasped a second time. "Although, I have to admit that I think it's hot that you're so noisy." He sucked on the other boy's right ear, making him moan.

Somehow Richie managed to ask, "You…do?" while Simon started unzipping his pants.

"Yeah. It lets me know that what I'm doing is working." He smiled as he slid his hand Richie's boxers, stroking him.

"In that case..." Richie . "Let's see just how loud I can get."

Simon smirked and slid down the blond's body. And apparently, Richie could get very loud indeed.

-----

The movie theater was crowded, as it was opening weekend for a pre-summer blockbuster. It was definitely a good thing that Daisy had in fact purchased the tickets in advance that afternoon.

Especially considering that Richie and Simon were running late.

Virgil checked his watch for the tenth time in two minutes. "Where are they?"

Daisy just shrugged. "I dunno. They said they were coming."

"I'll bet they are," he mumbled.

Daisy started to ask what he meant when the pair of boys ran up with matching grins on their faces.

"Sorry we're late. We...lost track of time." Virgil tried very hard not to scowl; Simon didn't look or sound very sorry. Neither did Richie as he blushingly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Dude…"

"It's cool." Daisy just smiled. "Here're the tickets. Come on, the previews are about to start!" The group all ran inside and to their theatre, which of course was packed.

"Shit…I don't see anywhere to sit." Richie was staring around the theatre, frowning as he surveyed the lack of seats.

"What about up there?" Simon pointed to the very back of the theater. "There're two seats together, and then two seats together a little further down. I mean, we won't all be together but…"

"Sounds good to me." Daisy started to climb the stairs to the first pair of seats. "Virgil and I will take the seats over here…you guys

get the ones on the other end."

Virgil started to open his mouth to protest but Richie had already started running with Simon to make sure the other seats didn't get taken. Shaking his head, he followed Daisy up the stairs.

-----

If someone had asked him later if he had liked the movie, Virgil wouldn't have been able to give an answer.

That was, of course, due to the fact that he had barely seen any of it. He had been too busy watching Richie and Simon.

They had held hands like every other couple in the theatre, albeit in a more discreet fashion. Sometimes during scenes with cheesy dialogue, they'd whisper in each other's ears and laugh quietly.

They looked very comfortable and happy.

And the cold, sick feeling was pretty much signing a long-term lease in his stomach. He knew he shouldn't stare at them. That if watching them was bothering him so much (why did it do that anyways?) he should pay attention to the movie or talk to Daisy.

And yet he couldn't bring himself to look away. At least until he felt the painful pinch in his arm.

"Virgil, watch the movie already. You're driving me nuts with your constant neck craning. They're fine," Daisy whispered.

"Sorry," he muttered while rubbing his arm. He did keep his eyes on the screen for the rest of the night, but he wasn't watching the movie.

-----

"The part with the car chase was awesome!" Daisy exclaimed as they left the theatre. "I've never seen one involving a turbo-prop and a houseboat before!"

"Don't forget the explosions. I love me some explosions." Richie added.

"Well who doesn't? I mean, really."

"Yeah, but didn't that remind you of _Bad Boys II_? Like, the whole thing just seemed sort-of lifted out of it…" Simon shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, it was great, but there was an overwhelming feeling of deja boom."

"Deja boom?"

"Yes, the sensation that you have seen stuff blow up before." Daisy and Richie groaned at the bad joke. "Sorry, that was lame."

The blond smiled. "Yes. Yes it was." He took his boyfriend's hand. "Don't let it happen again."

"Yes, dear. Hey Virgil, what part did you like?"

Virgil was walking slightly ahead of the other three, not really paying attention. "Huh? Oh, um the end I guess."

The trio blinked at Virgil's back. After a moment, Richie leaned in and whispered to his boyfriend, who just nodded and let go of his hand. He and Daisy picked up where they left off, arguing over the originality of cinematic action sequences.

"Heya sport." Virgil started as he was nudged suddenly by a smiling Richie.

"Oh. Hey Richie." Determined to mope, he just shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You okay? You're kinda quiet, especially considering how much ass we just watched Will Smith kick."

"Yeah, I just…have some stuff on my mind, that's all." _Stuff like you_, he wanted to say but didn't.

"I hear that. It's been a busy week."

"Yeah, with so much going on lately, I've barely had time to stop. I guess I'm just tired." Absently, he ran a hand through his dreads. "Any clue what you're going to do about school yet?"

"Not really. I wasn't expecting to, you know, have options." There was a pause. "Plus there are…other complications."

"Like your boy?" _Okay, mouth? You really need to wait on the brain before opening and letting words come out_.

"Well yeah, but more like going so far away from everything I know. Being that far away from my folks…dude, California might as well be another planet or something. And my friends aren't out there...well okay Daisy would be, but she's not you, you know."

Virgil shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it'd be weird to have to fight…play chess without a partner or whatever."

The blond rolled his eyes and stopped walking. "You know what I mean. Like, yeah okay the…chess...thing will be a problem. But I'm more concerned about just missing my best friend."

Virgil finally looked up, a smile on his face. "For real?"

"Realer than real."

"I'll miss you too," Virgil couldn't help blurting out. He ducked his head to hide the embarassed look on his face. "I mean, if you go."

"Well, that's good. I'd hate to be in a one-sided relationship." Richie grinned. "Although, right now it's not looking good for the West Coast. I mean, they eat sushi there. Like all the time. Yech."

"Bro, what are you talking about? Sushi's good." He was playfully shoved by the blond, who was grinning.

"You would think so. You with your freaky sardine thing." Virgil shoved him back.

"No more freaky than pineapple pizza."

And then suddenly, ninjas attacked.

About five men in solid black seemingly dropped out of the sky as the nearby First National bank exploded. More men in black snuck out of the building as the citizens of Dakota errupted into panic.

Richie and Virgil stared with their mouths hanging open in shock. Daisy and Simon weren't doing a lot better.

"What the shit is this?" Simon asked no one in particular. "I mean...Bang Babies are one thing but this is just random."

"Yeah. We should find out what they're up to," Virgil mumbled. He noticed Richie giving him a _look_. "I mean...uh...shouldn't Static and Gear be here by now?"

At that moment, another explosion from the nearby subway station shook the ground, causing the masses to spin into an even greater panic. People were running everywhere and screaming at the top of their lungs.

Without looking to each other, Virgil and Richie 'allowed' the crowd to seperate them from the others, running into a nearby alley to change.

"Think Simon and Daisy are okay?" Richie asked as he pulled on his gloves.

Virgil froze in the middle of putting on his mask. "Sure."

The blond wasn't convinced. "Well, remind me to call him anyways after this to make sure." He powered on his skates and took to the sky.

Static unfolded his disc. "Call Simon to make sure." He then took off after his partner.

Gear had captured several of the ninjas using binding Zap Caps. The remaining group were now attacking him with shuriken.

"Now what good are a bunch of metal thingies going to do against someone who can freeze 'em in mid-air?" Static "caught" the projectiles with his powers, quickly turning sending them back the way they came. All but two of the ninjas were pinned to the wall with their own weapons. "Feh. I'm gonna need you all to do better."

The head ninja rolled his eyes and said something rude in Japanese. At least, the electric metahuman assumed it was rude by his partner's reaction.

"Dude, you don't even know his sister!"

"He insulted my sister?" That just wasn't right.

"Among other things." Gear shook his head in disbelief.

The ninja barked something else. Gear glared at him.

"You can not possibly kiss your mother with that mouth." The ninja shrugged, then threw more bombs at the pair. Static and Gear dodged them easily, with the latter throwing one final set of Zap Caps at the same time, ensnaring the last of the criminals.

"Well...glad that's over with." Static brushed his dreads out of his eyes. "Way to kick ass and take names, by the way."

"Eh. I've been eating...my Wheaties?" A sudden creaking noise interrupted his train of thought. "What the...?" They looked up to see a billboard hanging from one of its corners, obviously very badly damaged from the battle. The last bracket holding it gave way and it started to come down where they were hovering. "Watch out!"

Gear slammed into him, knocking him off his disc and rolling them out of the way. Static landed on his back with Gear on top of him, their limbs tangled together. He went to complain about the rough landing when he looked up and into his partner's eyes.

Into those really concerned, kind, and sweet eyes that he knew were a bright sky blue under the visor.

His heart pounded in his chest.

"Static?"

He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and couldn't look away.

_Oh crap._

"Dude, what's wrong? Did you hit your head?" A fretful hand was placed in his hair, checking for bumps and bruises.

He silently shook his head.

It took everything he had to not lean into the touch.

_**Crap**._

Gear shifted so that instead of laying over the other hero, he was kneeling in front of him. "Bro' come on...talk to me, what's wrong?"

He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out.

"Static? You're scaring me."

"I'm...I'm okay."

He really wasn't.

Gear looked relieved. "Dude, don't _do_ that. For a second I thought something was seriously wrong with you." He sighed and then smiled. "Sorry the landing wasn't more gentle; it must've really shook you up."

Static nodded. He was shaken up all right, but not because of the landing.

After weeks of being confused, Virgil Hawkins finally understood why he hated his boyfriend so much and why he was so worried about Richie leaving. The jealousy, the insecurity...it all made sense, much to his chagrin.

He had the hots for his best friend.

-----

_If it were a snake, it would have bit you._

­-----


	4. Interlude: Building Contract of Laughter

Okay, remember how I said I love Sharon? I do love her a lot. And ever since I caught "Out of Africa," I've been fascinated with how well her and Richie seem to get along most of the time. (I'm discounting "Sons of the Fathers," but notice in "Static Shaq" that she's the one who is worried about him during the attack at the party.) It's a relationship I feel isn't explored enough so...that's why there is this.

This is my personal theory about something concerning Richie as well, because I so can't see his father...well, you'll see. It's in no way canon. So please don't treat it as such.

Again, thanks for all of the kind words. You guys really make this worthwhile.

* * *

_Interlude: Late summer right before the Big Bang_

Being an incoming freshman, Sharon Hawkins thought as she perused the course catalogue of Dakota University, was a difficult prospect. How do you challenge yourself with your education and still leave time open for hanging out with friends and the all-important party scene? Did she want to take the highest-level classes she could all the way through school or did she want to make sure her social life seldom suffered?

Although having a heavier course load would cause her to spend more time at the library, which would mean she'd be out of the house and thusly away from the little brother more.

The idea had a lot of merit.

Sighing out loud, she went back to picking out a Phys Ed requirement. Did she want to try yoga or do something more hardcore like rock climbing? The doorbell snatched her out of her thoughts.

"I got it!" She opened the door, blinking a few times when she saw who was on the other side. "Oh. Virgil's not here."

Richie Foley fidgeted for a moment. "Yeah I know. He's at Frieda's or whatever. I um…I'm actually here because…because I'd like to talk to you."

There are times in movies that contain party scenes where a character will say something shocking, causing the music to stop with the sound of a needle being pulled off of a vinyl record. It also causes all of the other party-goers turn and stare.

If that had somehow happened at that moment in reality, Sharon would not have been surprised at all.

She knew her jaw was hanging open, and yet she could not bring herself to shut it. "You…want to talk to me?"

"Uh yeah, if that's uh cool and stuff." He looked kind-of scared. Which, granted she normally would have enjoyed. Not that she hated the kid or anything; she'd never admit to it but she really thought of him as a second little brother. He was pesky and underfoot and if anyone ever did anything to harm him, she'd rip their face off without hesitation.

She collected herself finally and held the door open. "Well? You gonna come in or what?"

He pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled. "Okay"

-----

They sat a short while later at the kitchen table with a plate of cookies between them. Sharon had a mug of coffee and Richie was sipping a glass of milk.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

He looked up with a milk moustache and a startled expression. "I need some advice, I guess. No wait…" He shook his head, clearly unhappy with that particular train of thought. "Okay. Um…how do you feel about people that...?" He shook his head again. "What I mean is…I'm starting to think that I might…that I'm…"

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Richie, it'd be really useful if you could finish a sentence. Then I might actually know what you're talking about."

"Right. Sorry. Um." He started shredding a napkin in his hands, his words coming out in a rush. "OkayIcan'ttalktomyfolksaboutthisandyouwerethefirstpersonIthoughtofsinceyou'regoingtobeacounselorlikeyourdadandIhate toputthisonyoubutI'mprettysureI'mgayandIdidn'thaveanywhereelsetogoandpleasedon'ttellanyone."

She was about to snap at him to use English when her brain finished its translation of what he said. Her eyes widened and she put her mug down.

_Hello!_

She looked at him. The pieces of his napkin had been placed into a neat pile and he was very obviously trying to avoid her gaze. "Oh, Richie…" The gentle tone in her voice made him look up, and her heart ached because he looked so…_scared_. Like he was afraid she was going to recoil in disgust or throw him out or something. "There's nothing wrong with that. Or you."

"There's…not?"

"No, there's not. There's nothing wrong with loving someone, regardless of what gender they are or even just what they look like. And there's never anything wrong with being yourself."

Instead of being reassured by her words, he winced. "That's…not what my dad says. He says that…that people shouldn't flaunt certain things. And I just figured you'd agree. Most people seem to."

Well, that explained where the fear came from. She pursed her lips. "Okay, I'm not your father or the rest of the world. And frankly, I don't give a shit what he or anyone else says. I can't dictate your feelings anymore than you can dictate mine. If you love someone and they make you happy, then that's none of my business or anyone's really. You being happy is that's important, got it?"

The weight of the world off his shoulders, he smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." She gave him a warm smile back. "Why? Am I the first person you've told or something?"

He took another long sip of his milk. "Yeah."

_Wait a minute_. "Virgil doesn't know?" He paled at her words, which Sharon thought was odd.

"No. And I…really don't want him to know."

She stared at him with a confused frown on her face. "How come? You two do everything together…why aren't you gonna tell him?"

"He just…he can't know. Okay?" Richie's eyes were panicked again.

"But…" Sharon had never been much of a believer in women's intuition, but she suddenly had a huge flash of insight. _Oh, wow. Virgil's been spending all of his time chasing some dumb crush on Frieda and all the while…poor Richie. I can't even imagine what he's going through._ She couldn't help but sigh because his train of thought made a lot of sense. Telling Virgil he was gay could lead to Virgil asking too many questions and that could probably ruin their friendship.

"Okay, Richie. I promise I won't tell him, but you really need to eventually. Even Virgil's not that clueless; one day he'll wonder why you never ask girls out or drool over a supermodel or whatever. Besides, he's your best friend. Best friends don't hide from one another."

Richie finished off his milk with a thoughtful look. "You're right. I'll tell him." Surprising them both, he hugged her. "Thanks, Sharon. I just…thanks."

She hugged him back and when they let go, she couldn't up but muss his hair with a smirk. He swatted her hands away and made a show of putting it back where it belonged. Things were too serious…they needed to go out somewhere and liven things up.

"Get up, Nerd Boy." She put the cookies up and went to the kitchen door. "Daddy, I'm going out for a while. I'll be back for dinner!"

"Okay sweetheart!" Robert Hawkins called back.

"Where're we going?" Richie was perplexed.

"The mall. Come on!"

-----

After getting some ice cream, the unlikely pair found themselves mostly window-shopping through Dakota Mall. They made casual conversation, although Sharon couldn't help but point out a few hotties here or there. ("What about him?" "I um…_wow_. Yeah okay he's…really hot.")

"Anything you wanted to do while we're here?" Richie's cone long since demolished, Sharon slowly made work of her dish of pralines and cream.

"Um well…" He pointed to Claire's. "I've always wanted to get my ear pierced, but…"

Sharon cocked her head to the side, staring at him appraisingly. "You know, I can see it. I can totally see you rocking a hoop. I mean…they'll make you wear a normal stud at first but…yeah. A hoop is way more your style." She grinned at him. "You got money right?"

"Well, yeah but…" Richie just blinked at her. She couldn't possibly be serious…could she?

Grabbing his arm, she said "Then let's move."

"Wait, but I have to be eighteen…!"

"Or with someone that is." She winked at him, and then turned serious. "You wussing out on me boy?"

"No, I just didn't think we'd get away with it. Although, my dad will probably freak when he sees it." He got a huge grin on his face. "Let's go for it."

"Great!" She grabbed his arm again, and as they ran into the store they were laughing loudly

-----  
_Friendship: a building contract you sign with laughter and break with tears._  
-----


	5. Chapter Three: Nothing for Something

Hey guys...sorry it took so long to update but this was a hard chapter to write. It's never easy to...well, you'll probably see why I had a hard time. As I said previously, it does have to get worse before it can get better. Like...way worse.

Let me not ruin the ending of my own story. I'll ruin a different one...Darth Vader is Luke's father, Leia is his sister, and the Empire was overthrown by Ewoks. There. I feel better now.

Hope you all...hrm enjoy is the wrong word. I hope you all like it, there we go.

* * *

_Chapter Three: A week before Prom, senior year_

Following the revelation of his feelings, being around Richie proved very awkward for Virgil.

Example: changing after a patrol had become really difficult. He had to fight to keep from sneaking looks as Richie took off the Gear suit. Nine times out of ten, it was not a battle that he won. It was even more difficult when they were out flying around town...

Not that he was still embarrassed by the time he crashed into a wall because Gear had been flying in front of him and he had a perfect view of his ass or anything. No sir, of course not.

When Richie would do things like sketch upgrade schematics for the Watchtower in his English notes or chew on his pencil absently during physics…he looked just as good to Virgil then too. It was as if this giant Pandora's Box had been opened and there was no way to close it, let alone put everything back the way it was. He had always been aware of his friend, but now it was as if he was hyper-aware of his every movement. The way the light hit his hair, the way he snorted instead of laughed when caught by surprise…it was like Richie was this great, shiny, and perfect thing that he had never really _seen_ before.

Perhaps a coma would fix things. Maybe if he banged his head on the table... He decided to veto giving himself brain damange as he looked up from his plate and across the booth he was currently in.

Whenever there was a big test in Government, Daisy, Frieda, Richie, and Virgil would meet up at IHOP and study together over orders of calorie-laden breakfast foods. It was always French toast with bacon and apple juice for Daisy, a Western omelet with grits, toast, and OJ for Virgil, buttermilk pancakes, hash browns, eggs over easy, and a Coke for Richie, and seasonal fruit salad and a pot of coffee for Frieda.

In all of the time they had known each other, Richie had never once used silverware when eating his pancakes. He would tear them into bits. He'd then dip them into a pool of blueberry syrup and eat them one piece at a time. In the past, Virgil always just shook his head and called his friend a weirdo.

Now he was entranced by a spot of dark blue syrup on the blond's chin. And he really, really wanted to clean it off for him.

With his tongue.

He knew he was staring but he really couldn't stop himself. Richie-watching was his new favourite past time, although he tried to be as subtle about it as possible.

Just then, something white zoomed past his vision and landed in his food. He picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it.

"Virgil-

Just take a picture already…I'm told they last longer.

LY – MI

Frieda"

It would appear that he might be failing on the subtle front.

He felt his eyes widen as he turned and looked at the girl sitting diagonally from him. Frieda nonchalantly took a sip of her coffee as she asked Daisy a question about the checks and balances system. Richie was pulling apart his last pancake, his hair falling into his eyes. Virgil almost had to sit on his hands to keep himself from brushing it back.

Okay, so Frieda apparently had noticed that something might be up. Which…okay that was fine, because she wasn't Richie. The whole world could notice something was up with him as long as Richie was not counted among them. Because...awkward.

Not like suddenly realizing that you maybe-sorta-kinda liked your best friend and definitely wanted to knock them silly wasn't but...why make things worse?

"Virg?"

He started wondering if he should tell Richie how he felt now, or if he should just try and wait until Simon broke up with him. On the one hand, rebound! But then, on the other hand...rebound. Besides, Richie was still his best friend and it wasn't in him to take advantage like that.

"Virgil?"

No, if they were going to get together, it had to be the right way. Except...he had no clue what the right way would even _be_.

"Virgil!"

"Huh? What?" Now he was the one being stared at. By everyone. He carefully avoided Richie's gaze and looked at Daisy.

"We were just going over how the filibuster system is supposed to work in the Senate. Which, if you had _paid attention_, you'd know." Daisy stared at him pointedly.

"Oh, sorry." He had the decency to look abashed. "I was thinking about...um...the Prom." Prom. Yeah that sounded safe.

She brightened considerably. "Oh I know! It's so exciting! I got my dress last night and I so can't wait! Did you find a date yet?" She looked at her best friend with a grin.

"Nah. There's no one really worth going with." Idly pouring Splenda into her coffee, Frieda really wasn't all that concerned about the dance.

"Well, Virgil's dateless too. So why don't the two of you go together?" Richie supplied with a thoughtful look on his face.

Daisy's grin brightened. "That is a great idea! Then we'll all be paired up and everything!" Everyone knew Daisy was going with Marcus Reynolds, Captain of Dakota Union High's swim team.

Virgil balked. "Wait. Who are _you_ going with?"

Richie raised an eyebrow. "Okay, apparently I need to go borrow Doc Brown's DeLorean and take you back to two months ago when Simon and I got together."

Oh.

Of course.

_Of course _he was going with Simon. Virgil hadn't really been up for the Prom before but now...now he felt like hiding in his room until graduation.

He smiled. "Right. Virgil Hawkins, party of duh...your table's ready. My bad." He laughed at himself. "So Frieda, is it a date?"

Frieda gave him a measuring look. He hated it when she did that, and it seemed like it was happening more and more lately. Like she had something to say to him but just wouldn't. He wished she would spit it out already. Maybe all that journalism stuff was making her crazy.

"Sure, Virgil. It'll be fun." She smiled at him and drained the last of her coffee. "What time is it?"

"Like 8:30." Richie shrugged. "Got somewhere to be?"

"Shit, actually yeah. _The OC_'s on tonight. Daisy we gotta jet." The girls started gathering their things. "Offer you guys a ride?"

"You have to ask? I'd never miss a chance to ride in the awesome that is the Frieda-mobile." The blond grinned as he slid out of the booth.

Frieda beamed. Her light blue Mini-Cooper _was_ pretty awesome. Hooray for turning eighteen! "What about you?" she looked at Virgil as she put down her share of the bill.

"I...I think I'll walk. It's really nice out."

The redhead gave him a stern look. Which, if playing it cool hadn't been so important, would have made him flinch.

It didn't help that Richie was looking at him oddly as well. "On second thought...I'll walk too. I should work off those pancakes."

Daisy and Frieda just shrugged. "Suit yourselves. See you tomorrow!" The girls walked off, chattering about the apparent hotness of Adam Brody. The boys double-checked that a suitable tip had been left, and they exited the restaurant.

They walked in companionable silence for a block or so when Richie asked, "So...what are you up to tonight?"

"Studying more, I guess. Maybe a quick patrol." Virgil shrugged. "Why?"

The blond pushed up his glasses. "Wondering if you wanted to make it a Blockbuster night. Super special-edition three-disc Director's Cut of _Wicked Scary_ is on DVD. Thought you might want to check it out."

Well, this was a dilemma. On the one hand...Richie all to himself for a change. He would finally be alone with the one person he had wanted to be alone with more than anyone lately. He could finally be with his friend like normal.

On the other hand...did he really want to be alone with the one person he had wanted to be _alone_ with more than anyone lately? Considering any and all thoughts of a sexual nature had been about Richie (and there were lots, Virgil was seventeen after all), did he really think being alone in a dark room was a good idea?

He sighed. "Maybe another night. I really gotta hit the books."

Richie gave him that look again, and then sighed. A bit of shame crossed his features for a moment.

Wait...shame?

"Look, V...I know I haven't been around much lately. I...never meant to be one of those people who forget all about their friends when they start dating someone. But I...I think I have been." He looked down at the sidewalk. "I understand if you don't really want me around much right now or if you're mad or whatever. My point is, I'm sorry. And I'll be better about it."

Oh for God's sake. Could the universe seriously just stop the insanity already? What the hell was he supposed to say to that? "Rich, it's cool. I'm not like this because I miss you or something. I'm like this because I think I want to replace your boyfriend and I don't know how to deal with it. I can't even _cope_ with it and right now I just really want to kiss the hell out of you so stop talking and pucker up?"

Yeah. That was an aisle full of no right there.

"It's cool." It was getting easier to do this, he realized uncomfortably. "I know. It's hard to balance everything. Don't sweat it. I just really do need to study...it's not too late to screw myself out of graduating, you know?"

"Yeah." They reached the intersection where they had to part ways. "You bowling tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it." He had a feeling he might regret this, but if he didn't it would be harder to keep his friend in the dark about...things. And, he did miss hanging out with him. "Want to come over after?"

Richie smiled. "Definitely."

"Sweet." He held out his hand for their handshake, which Richie cheerfully returned. "Peace."

"And out!" The blond waved as he walked off.

Virgil almost didn't watch him go.

-----

Later that evening, Richard Osgood Foley stared at the notecard in his hands.

Everything had been filled out except for one small detail.

He turned it over in his hands and looked at the address for what felt like the millionth time, but he knew was only the eighty-seventh. Well, that morning anyway.

One box to check with the word "yes" under it, one box next to it with the word "no."

Not for the first time, he wondered why he had even bothered. More to the point, he was wondering why it was so hard for him to make up his mind? He turned the piece of paper over again.

Because both Bruce and Daisy had suggested it with enthusiasm, so what the hell?

Because this was an attempt at making a change, and hey who couldn't use a little change?

Because he had really, really liked L.A. that time he was out there with Virgil and his dad, and yeah the school wasn't in Los Angeles proper, but it wasn't even like twenty minutes away and was therefore a hell of a lot closer than Dakota?

Because it was about time he did something for himself and not because anyone else wanted him to?

He turned the card over once more.

California Institute of Technology, more commonly known as Caltech. Check yes to accept enrollment, check no to decline.

He checked the time.

It was well after midnight. He needed to go to sleep, otherwise getting up would be a bitch.

He sighed and looked at card again.

It was now or never, or forever and always, as the case may be.

A checkmark was quickly written into a box. He then put the card in its envelope and walked it out to the mailbox.

His decision was made. No going back.

-----

The following day as planned, everyone met up at the bowling alley for a few games and fun.

"Dude, I gotta tell you. For a bowler, you make a great martial artist."

Simon rolled his eyes as he watched his latest effort hit exactly one pin and then land in the gutter. "Whatever. I told you I haven't done this since I was eight."

"And boy howdy it shows. Here." Richie shook his head while smiling. "The trick is to keep your wrist steady. You keep turning it funny ways." He stood right behind his boyfriend, hand on his right wrist to hold it steady. "You just have to hold and release." He moved the other boy's arm with his. "See?"

"Do we have to get you two a room?" Daisy put her hands on her hips as Marcus snickered.

Simon just snorted and Richie stuck his tongue out at her. Everyone laughed.

Well...mostly everyone. Virgil leaned against a ball rack, trying not to look too sullen or jealous. It appeared to be working.

Since Marcus had come along, it was this weird pairing off of Marcus-and-Daisy and Richie-and-Simon. And him. And Frieda.

Normally, he'd think everyone was trying to fix them up. Knowing how funny he found that, combined with exactly how funny she would find it, he sincerely hoped they all knew better.

Speak of the devil, Frieda returned from the snack bar with a huge pitcher of soda and several cups. "Drinks, guys. Did I miss my turn?"

Daisy shook her head. "Nope. You're just in time."

"Sweet!" She ran over, grabbing her ball and taking aim for the pins.

"Thanks, by the way," Simon called after her as he poured everyone a glass.

"Oh sweet nectar…how I've longed for you." Richie sniffed the fizzy liquid as if he was at a wine tasting. "Oh precious, precious Coca-Cola…how your sweet taste doth quench my thirst…"

"Richie, you're retarded. It's just soda." Daisy shook her head.

"Just soda? _Just soda_?" Richie was outraged. "That is like saying a Rolls Royce is _just_ a car."

"But it _is_ just a car!"

Richie put his glass down. "Sacrilege!"

Simon shook his head. "Should I feel jealous of a carbonated soft-drink?"

Marcus shrugged. "I don't think he's giving you much choice, man."

"True." He shrugged. "If I were to remove my rival however…"

Done with her frame, Frieda walked over to where Virgil was standing. "You look like you're having a good time," she said sarcastically as she wiped her hands on her jeans. He just shrugged.

"Same as always."

"Right." She followed his gaze to the others, where Simon had playfully stolen Richie's drink and Richie was flailing as he tried to get it back. Daisy was bowling and Marcus was trying to referee with a big grin on his face. "You haven't told him yet, have you?"

"Told who what?" His gaze never moved from the other boys.

"Richie. About how you feel." Frieda brushed her hair out of her face.

He sighed. "No...I haven't told anyone. Which, uh by the way, how do you know?"

She sipped her soda. "It's kind-of obvious, Virgil."

"It…is?" He swallowed nervously.

"To me, yeah. Everyone else thinks you're being jumpy and weird because of graduation or whatever. I've known since that night we went to the club together."

Virgil started at this. "That long? I just figured it out and you knew all this time? Why didn't you say something?"

"Well, aside from the fact that at the end of the day, this really isn't any of my business, I didn't think it'd go over too well. I mean, as if you'd react nicely to me coming up to you all 'Hey Virgil, how's that whole being secretly in love with Richie thing going? By the way did you get the English assignment for tomorrow'?" She snorted. "Please."

Virgil turned away from her to look at the rest of their group. Not for the first time, he wondered why if it stung so much that he should keep watching them. Her phrasing suddenly struck him and he gave her a look. "I never said I was in love with him."

Frieda froze with her hand in the process of raising her glass to her mouth. "Okay" was all she said.

Before he could ask her what she meant, they heard a yell as Richie succeeded in cornering Simon and getting his soda back. Before he could drink it down, the brown-haired boy grabbed him for a quick, impromptu kiss.

Virgil felt sick to his stomach. They had never done that before. Not in front of him or anyone else. _A public display like that, considering everything…they must be really serious… _He had never wanted to run away from anything so badly in his life as he did then. He couldn't look anymore because he felt like it…like it was killing him or something.

Actually, saying that it felt like it was killing him was exactly right. Because, and he really did not want to admit this even to himself, it _was_.

He couldn't look at them and he couldn't look at Frieda because he didn't really need or want any sympathy. So he did the only thing he could do.

He walked over, grabbed his ball, and bowled his frame.

-----

"So which do you want to watch? _X-Men 2 _or _Spider-Man 2_?"

Later that evening, Richie and Virgil had gone back to the Hawkins residence to hang out as planned. Richie had been chattering non-stop since they left they bowling alley, while Virgil had patiently listened to his friend.

There were only two real times Richie could not shut up. When he was nervous…

Or when he was happy.

Virgil leaned back on the sofa. "Haven't seen our favourite mutants in a while. Let's put on X2."

The blond just grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that." He pulled out the dvd.

"Why? So I can watch you drooling over Hugh Jackman?" _Please God let him take that as a joke._

Richie blinked, a slight blush creeping up his face. "No."

Virgil couldn't help but smile. "That's totally it, isn't it? You feel like indulging in your lusty and wrong feelings for Wolverine."

"Do not," Richie grumbled.

There was a long silence.

"Okay, maybe a little. But yeah, hi, wifebeater? Sweaty man arms? Jeans that may as well have been sewn on? I mean, damn."

And now he was jealous of a famous actor. Could this possibly get any dumber? "I…haven't noticed."

Richie clucked his tongue. "Oh right. I guess Halle and Rebecca are more up your alley..."

Virgil bit his lip. This was…heading into weird territory. "Not really. I…don't really find anyone in this movie hot." _At least, not in comparison to you, _he wanted to say but didn't. He was doing far too much of that lately.

Richie clucked his tongue. "Right." They sat in companionable silence as they watched the students of Xavier's run around a museum. "You know, I bet someplace like that would have come in handy here in Dakota. It'd have been nice to have a place where all the Bang Babies could have learned to use their powers like, effectively and not just to blow shit up."

"Yeah, but how many people would have gone to it?" Virgil scratched his head. "I mean, you can't force someone to enroll in a school. Ebon or someone probably woulda just destroyed it."

"True." The blond turned from the movie to look at his friend. "Um…"

"Yeah?"

"Um…I well…speaking of school…" Richie paused, looking down at his hands. "I've…made up my mind. About where I'm going to go. And…I wanted to tell you first before anyone else." He fidgeted.

Virgil suddenly had a bad feeling. He tried to sound casual as he said "Oh really? Well, don't keep me in suspense. Where're you going?"

"Right. Um well…I…" He shook his head to gather his thoughts. "I'm…going for it."

Yeah, this was bad. Virgil pressed pause on the remote, trying not to freak out. "Going for what?" He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but something made him ask anyways.

"I'm going to Caltech." Richie bit his lip. "I've given it a lot of thought, and I've always kind-of wanted to get out of Dakota. It's a great school and they're even offering me some scholarships. And California's nice and it's...well not super gay friendly, but it's better than here in some places." He sounded surer of himself as he went on. "If I hate it, I can always come back. So…yeah, I'm going to go for it."

Maybe it was the fact that he had been bottling so much up lately. Maybe he was still upset from what he saw at the bowling alley. Or maybe he couldn't deal with the fact that Richie was in fact leaving. Whatever the reason, something inside Virgil finally broke. In a very quiet voice, he said "You can't."

"And there are breaks and I'll be…what?"

He tried to stop himself, but it was like using a glass to stop a tidal wave. He cleared his throat. "You can't go. I don't want you to go."

Richie was confused. "Why not?"

_Because of how I feel about you._ "Because I…I just…I don't want you to." He finally looked at the blond then, which was a mistake.

He had expected Richie to be confused by his words. What he had not expected was the hurt he saw in his eyes. "I…thought you said it's my call. That you'd…you'd have my back."

"It is." Virgil said. "And I do. But I just…I don't think… I just don't want you to go, all right?"

"No, it's not all right." The hurt was turning into irritation. "You're…getting on me about my decision and you're not telling me why. Instead, you're telling me what to do with my life. That's not 'all right.' That's messed up."

Virgil sighed. How was he supposed to handle this? He couldn't say anything else because then Richie would know. But he couldn't not say anything because Richie was getting angry with him and that was clearly not going over well. "I'm…I'm not telling you what to do. I said I don't want you to go."

"But why? You're the only one who's not happy about this, and you're the one who said you'd be the happiest. Christ, Virgil, even _Simon'll_ be happy that I'm going."

And that was the last thing Virgil needed to hear. He stood up and walked to the other side of the room. "Oh well, by all means, if _Simon_ says go then you better do it. I mean Simon's perfect right? So better do what Simon fucking says."

Richie stood up to look Virgil in the eye. "Don't make this about him. He's got nothing to do with this."

"He has everything to do with this. You wouldn't have even applied or anything if not for him, I bet. You definitely wouldn't be going if he hadn't opened his mouth!"

Richie clenched his jaw. "Oh so that's it. You think because I'm not doing what you want me to do, that I'm suddenly incapable of making up my own mind. Because I decided not to follow you around for once, that now I'm like brainwashed by my boyfriend or some bullshit?"

"Because you are! You never spend any time with anyone anymore unless it's Simon or he's there! You're, like, slipping away or something! And for that matter, why the hell are you even with that guy, anyways? It's not like he's worth your time!"

"What?" Richie's voice was flat, which was never a good sign.

"I mean, Jesus, Richie…what the hell do you _see_ in that guy anyway?"

"Why does that matter? It's not like you're dating him. It's not like---" Virgil cut him off.

"Because I hate him, okay? I hate Simon! I. Hate. Him."

Oh shit. That was all the way out loud, wasn't it?

Richie snorted. "Well, it's good to know how you feel I guess. How could you possibly hate him? You've never given him a chance or tried to get to know him! You treated him like shit from the word go!"

"I know that I hate him because he doesn't…you shouldn't be dating him! He's not good enough for you! You can do better!"

"Do better? Virgil…he makes me happy. I'm happy. That's all he needs to do. My being happy isn't good enough?"

"No, it isn't! Because...because I know that there's someone that could make you happier. I know that there's someone that you should be with and it's not him." What was he doing?

No, really…what the _hell_ was he doing?

"Oh well golly, if you say so…would you stop ordering me around? And what the hell are you talking about? Last I checked, I decide who I want to date. I decide who's good enough. Who could possibly be better…?" He trailed off as he suddenly realized that during his speech that Virgil had been closing the distance between them. Their faces were mere inches apart and there was this look in Virgil's eyes that he couldn't identify. "Um…what…what are you doing?"

"Showing you who the right person is," Virgil murmured. He put his hands on Richie's waist, pulling him closer. He closed his eyes, tilted his head down, and kissed him.

Richie was completely thrown. This was something he had thought about. A lot. For years, actually. But now that it was happening, he honestly did not know what to do.

Virgil took the fact that he was not being shoved away or punched as encouragement and moved his hands from Richie's waist to around his back, holding him even closer. At the contact, Richie couldn't hold himself back any longer. His arms came up and circled Virgil, one hand going into his hair, and he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss.

Whatever control Virgil had was shattered at this point, and the kiss turned feverish. He couldn't get close enough, and he couldn't bear

the thought of letting him go. He felt completed and hot and everything and it was just perfect. Why hadn't he done this sooner?

It was flawless and frightening and the most humbling moment of his life. He felt like he would never have to ask for anything again, that everything he could ever need was here in his arms. That it had been right in front of him his entire life.

Because, quite frankly, it had.

And just like that…it was gone.

Richie had pushed him away. Not looking at Virgil, he touched his lips, a storm of emotions in his eyes. When he finally spoke, there was no emotion in his voice.

"I'm going to go now."

"Wait…Richie! Wait! Don't---" The door slammed behind him. "Go." Sighing, Virgil sat on the couch, left alone with his thoughts.

Oh yeah. Inviting him over had definitely not been a good idea.

-----

_Gambling: The sure way of getting nothing for something._

-----


	6. Chapter Four: The Lonely One

Forest for the Trees  
Chapter Four  
The Lonely One

Um...okay. You ever write something, think it rocks, go back to reread it before posting, realize it's a complete crap, and have to begin all over again? That is exactly what happened with this chapter.

Well, that and I took a detour for _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_. Which...was good. So yay for that!

Consider this my apology for leaving everyone hanging, before I get killed or something. This was even harder to write than Chapter Three, especially because of how much HATRED I had for it originally. To the point where I said "God, why can't I just skip ahead and tell some stuff in flashback and things and stuff? Oh wait, I can because I'm the one writing this." Then I did my best _Napolean Dynamite _("Gosh...idiot!") impersonation. --'' We're on the downward slope now.

Part of the problem is that I've gotten so caught up in the two sequels I have planned, that like...wow. It's hard to get your brain to go back to point C when it's really uber-excited about point Q. And I also got sidetracked by the Richie/Daisy I wrote. (Yes, you read that properly. Virgil/Daisy makes me nauseous, but Richie/Daisy makes me happy...not as happy as Virgil/Richie, but still. And no, I don't know, either.)

Everyone makes mistakes...some are just make more spectacular ones than others. :glares at the black guy with dreds and the glasses-wearing blond: To answer a question asked in the last set of reviews, "LY - MI" stands for "love ya', mean it." Frieda strikes me as the type to slap you when you're screwing up and then give you a hug immediately after. Unless she hasn't had her morning coffee...then she'll just slap you. And um, I'd like to hit the writers of the show, because seriously...what the _hell _happened to Daisy between seasons two and three? Because she went from being like a shorter Sharon to being all damsely and it thusly makes her really hard to write. I hope I got a good balance between "And don't ever hang up on me AGAIN!" Daisy and "I just want everything to go back to the way it was. Please?" Daisy.

Also, as previously stated, we're halfway now. We've heard a lot from Virgil's point of view on everything. So I think it's time we switch gears (uh...pun not intended) and hear from Richie a bit more. And for some reason, when I think of Backpack, I think of a combination of Trolley from Mr. Rogers, a puppy, HAL, and R2-D2. Just...for clarification of the Backpack scene. And um, again, don't ask.

-----  
_Early December at Caltech, also known as Finals Week_

Richie Foley stared at his ceiling.

The sun slowly rose, making the room change colours from pale blue to red to yellow. He tried not to think about that fact that the smog from Los Angeles was what was causing the change in the lighting. He then tried to not think of anything at all. There were three hours and seventeen minutes before his alarm went off and he had to get up for a shower before his first exam.

Sleeping was probably the best idea at that particular moment. So he closed his eyes, hugging a pillow to his chest as he turned onto his side. After a few minutes, he dozed off into a restless sleep.

_"This is such bullshit."_

_"No, it isn't. I love you…I'm in love with you. It's not bullshit."_

_"What are you talking about? This whole situation is bullshit! You decide now that you can't live without me? You couldn't have realized this when it mattered?"_

He awoke with a start. He now had two hours and fifty seven minutes before it was time to get up. It hadn't even been worth the attempt. He sighed and got out of bed.

Photographic memory or not, a little review couldn't hurt.

-----

By the end of his two exams, Richie was relieved, worn out, and not at all sorry that he had no tests the following day. He made his way through the stressed and excited students as he headed to the campus coffee shop. It was unreal, somehow, that his first semester of college was all but finished. It was strange how much time had gone past…how almost just yesterday he was graduating from Dakota Union High.

Or he was getting ready for the Prom.

He swore under his breath as he stumbled over a step on his way through the entrance. He saw Daisy at their usual table, sitting in an oversized easy chair with her laptop in front of her.

"You know, your lips move when you read." He put his messenger bag on the floor and sat in the matching chair across from her. "It's really irritating."

She didn't even look up as she took a sip of whatever frou-frou coffee drink was in her mug. Not for the first time, he privately wondered when she turned into Frieda. "Did well on our tests, did we?"

"They were easy." He sat Indian style in his chair. "What are you doing, anyway? There are no tests again until Monday...even you can't be studying now."

"I was actually using the wireless connection here to check my mail, thanks." She still didn't look up. "Just typing up a reply."

"Oh? Well, tell Frieda I said hi."

She hesitated for a moment before she answered. "Um…it's not from Frieda. It's from Virgil."

"Oh." He folded his hands in his lap, an interested look on his face. "Um…so how is he?"

"He's fine. A bit stressed because of finals - not that we can't relate - but other than that, he says he can't complain."

Richie half-smiled. "Good. I mean…that's…I'm glad he's okay." He bit his lip and then, as casually as he could, asked "Has he…I mean…did he ask about me?"

She hesitated a second time. "No," she said softly. "No, he didn't."

There was a long silence.

"Right…I mean, I don't know why I…he never…" His voice trailed off. He turned away, staring off into the distance.

Daisy finally looked at him then, a somber expression on her face. She saw how pale he was and how the circles under his eyes seemed to have become permanent. And it made her take a deep breath before she said "You know, Richie, you could just email him yourself. Or call him."

"He wouldn't want…he doesn't want to talk to me."

Daisy pursed her lips. "Did he tell you that?"

"He doesn't need to." Richie's voice was resigned and not a little wistful. "Trust me. Virgil doesn't want to hear from me."

She thought about asking what exactly had happened between to cause this silence. Not being in the mood to be told yet again that it was none of her business, she elected instead to drink more coffee and change the subject. "You going to Clarissa's party tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I'm not really in the mood to go out."

"You're not in the mood to do much of anything these days." She smiled at him. "Come on, even if it's just for an hour. It'll do you some good to get out for a while."

He didn't want to say yes…the last time he had gone to a party…_Stop that_, he chided himself. At the same time, he knew Daisy wouldn't let him alone until he gave in. He looked up at her and, making an attempt to smile, said "Okay. I'll go."

She grinned. "Good. You can come get me around nine. We'll walk over together."

He nodded. "Nine o'clock."

-----

Later that evening, Richie tightened the last screw on Backpack's outer casing, having completed the necessary repairs and upgrades to its systems. He always did any work on the robot while his roommate was in class so he could avoid being asked any unnecessary questions. He patted it fondly when he was finished.

"All set, Backpack."

The robot beeped a cheery thank you as it settled on its dock to recharge. Richie sighed and cupped his chin in his hand, losing himself in his thoughts.

Another beeping sound quickly brought him back to reality. "What's wrong?"

Backpack blinked its light at him twice, and then pulled up a small hologram of Static flying on his disc, a huge grin on his face. Before he knew what he was doing, he had reached out his hand to caress the mini-Static.

His fingers went through the image with no resistance. It was just a phantom…just a small fragment of a memory.

"Turn it off," he mumbled.

This time, Backpack's beeping sounded sad. It shook its eye as if to say no, causing the hologram to waver a little.

"I said turn it off." His voice was weary. "I don't want to think...just don't do that again, okay?"

The hologram was shut down. And if he didn't know that it was impossible for there to be any emotion in the eye, he would have sworn Backpack was giving him a _look_.

"What?"

Backpack's beeps sounded resigned as it retracted its eye and went back to recharging.

Maybe A.I. wasn't such a good idea after all.

Richie took his glasses off and put his head down on his desk, his hair falling into his face. He mentally organized his schedule, reminding himself to save the laundry for when he got home and it was free.

And for a moment, he almost succeeded in not thinking about Virgil.

-----

Richie again found himself lying awake before sunrise. Because it was Saturday, he didn't have any exams. He didn't even need to get out of bed until four in the afternoon if he didn't want.

He closed his eyes, drifting again into an uneasy sleep.

_"It's too late, Virgil. I don't…I'm not in love with you anymore. I've moved on."_

_"See but…I don't think that's right. You…don't kiss me like you've moved on…"_

He jolted awake, almost falling out of bed. _Why do I even try?_

He could lay around, trying to sleep and failing miserably. Or he could go flying for a while, maybe head up to LA and try to clear his head.

Except…flying wouldn't clear his head at all. It would just…remind him, like it always did.

_Might as well get up and take a shower._

-----

The party was in full swing by the time Richie and Daisy arrived. Clarissa, in spite of being only a freshman like themselves, was well-known for her kick-ass parties, and this one was proving to be no exception. The house that she shared with her friend, Sam, was packed full of people. It seemed like everyone at Caltech was there to blow off some steam from exams.

Richie stood against a wall in the kitchen area, a drink that Clarissa had insisted he try in his hands. He thought it was called a kamikaze, but he didn't really care enough to remember. Whatever it was, it was good and he had had several since arriving about two hours ago.

"Richie." He looked up from his cup at Daisy. "Are you having a good time?"

He shrugged as he finished his drink. "Be better with another one of these."

She stared at him. "How many of those have you had?"

"Two…wait…" He tried to remember but it didn't quite work for some reason. "Three…this was my third."

"Okay. The amount of time it took for you to answer that means you should be cut off."

He snorted. "What are you, my mom?"

"Uh, if I'm your mom, you and your dad need to have a conversation. Especially since you're older than me." She shook her head. "I just don't want you to get sick, especially since I don't recall you ever drinking quite so heavily before." She raised an eyebrow as she sipped her beer. He just shrugged as they made their way over to Clarissa for refills.

"I'm fine. I could juggle flaming chainsaws right now while skateboarding and be cool."

She just gave him a pointed look as they reached the dining room "bar" area. Clarissa grinned from behind the table as she handed out a tray of jell-o shots to some people in her chemistry class. She flipped her red hair out of her eyes as she said "R & D! What can I get for you guys?"

"I think we're good." Daisy said pointedly looking at the blond.

"Speak for yourself…my cup's empty. I'll have another karma-whosit." He saw Daisy glaring at him, but he didn't care.

"One super-strength kamikaze, coming right up!" She merrily pulled out some bottles and started mixing the drink. "Although I can't help but ask…aren't your people supposed to drink Cosmos?"

He rolled his eyes. "I've told you…just because I'm gay..."

"It doesn't make you a screaming Queen, I know. I'm just sayin' that you never know 'til you give it a chance. Here." She handed the cup to him.

"Thanks." He drank about a quarter of it in one sip.

"Whoa there, Rhinestone Cowboy. There's enough in that to put out Professor Price…" He finished the drink, causing Clarissa to stare at him and Daisy to scowl. "Or, you know, you'll be fine. Or whatever. Want another one?"

"Nah. I think I'll grab some of the…thingies. Jell-o stuffs. 'Cause…always room for Jell-o." He waved as he walked off in search of aforementioned Jell-o thingies. The girls looked at each other.

"Your boy doesn't look so hot." Clarissa finally said as she grabbed a beer for herself.

"Hey, I tried to stop him. You saw how successful I was."

"Not what I mean. He looks like a man that's trying to dull his pain…and it doesn't seem to be working." Clarissa stepped from behind her makeshift bar to walk around with Daisy. "I mean…I like Richie, he's great, don't get me wrong, and I didn't want to say anything, but he's just not _here_, you know?" She pointed to her head. "He's…not always like that, is he?"

Daisy hesitated. "He…had a falling out with someone that…well, Virgil was really important to him. And it changed him a bit." _Not for the better_, she thought sadly.

"Virgil, huh? He an ex-boyfriend?"

"No, they never dated."

"Oh. But Gentlemen Prefer Blonds over there wanted him and just never got the guts to do anything about it, right?"

Daisy blinked; Clarissa was _good_. "…You'd have to ask Richie about that. But the bottom line is…they won't talk to each other, and they won't tell me or anyone else what happened."

"That sucks." Clarissa sipped her beer. "I mean, I'm no expert but…Richie really acts like the walking wounded sometimes. He just gets this look…" She didn't finish her sentence, mostly because she knew that it wasn't necessary. Daisy knew exactly what she meant. "You guys are going home next week right? So he and Virgil can, like, work things out?"

Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, Daisy just considered for a moment. "I hope they do. They're just both so…_lonely_ without each other."

Something over her shoulder caught Clarissa's eye and she snorted. "Don't look now, but I think someone's about to be a little less lonely, if you catch my drift."

"Huh?" Clarissa pointed to where she was looking, and Daisy turned to see Richie talking animatedly to a tall black boy on the balcony. They were flirting pretty heavily, the new boy saying something into Richie's ear. "What is he doing? That's…not right…"

It was at that moment that Richie pulled the boy to him and they started kissing. Clarissa snorted some of her drink up her nose as she laughed.

"Wow, your boy works _fast_. Maybe he'll be okay after all. Go Richie!"

But Daisy was frozen. No, this wasn't right.

This wasn't right at all.

-----

Richie jolted awake sometime later with possibly the worst headache he had ever had. He vaguely remembered Daisy saying something to him that he probably should have listened to, but that just made the throbbing worse. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, confused as to why the light was coming in from the wrong side. Then it finally registered that he wasn't in his room. He was lying in someone else's bed.

That was also when it registered that he wasn't alone in said bed.

He sat up and tried not to relive leaving the party and coming back here with…shit. He didn't even remember the guy's name. _Well, I guess everyone has one of these nights_, he thought unhappily. _Lost weekends, or whatever. _He sucked in a deep breath and looked over, his heart constricting at the sight.

He was very good looking, at least; tall with smooth, dark skin. Although, the hair was wrong, and he remembered that the eyes were too light. But other than that…

_"Is that it? You're scared?"_

_"I'm not scared."_

_"--- I hurt you and you told yourself to move on. Loving me and being hurt by me scared you so badly---!"_

_"I'm not scared!"_

_"---That you felt you had to hide from it. You got a boyfriend, someone you like but he's safe because he won't hurt you like I did, because you don't love him. You ran away, told yourself it's not worth being hurt over. Except now you know that it is! That you were wrong and you can't deal with it, so you're scared and you're hiding and running away again!"_

_"I'm not scared!"_

He felt like he wanted to be sick, and it had nothing to do with his hangover. This was so incredibly screwed up. _He_ was so incredibly screwed up. And for the first time in seven months, he just let himself feel. He let himself feel all of the guilt and pain that he had been pushing to the side since everything fell apart.

_I wish…I just wish I had a chance to explain. I want to tell you how sorry I am...I miss you... Please just let me explain…_

His eyes stinging, he quietly got dressed. It was too stifling in there…he needed to go somewhere else, _anywhere_ else, and he needed to get there yesterday.

----

By the time one o'clock had rolled around, Richie had walked all the way back to campus and around it about four times. He finally found himself staring at his door, not really wanting to go inside but not having any alternatives either. He sighed and unlocked the door.

After walking into his room, he sighed again and leaned against the wall. He took his glasses off with one hand and rubbed his eyes with the other.

"Rough night?"

"Jesus fucking Mary and Joseph---don't fucking _do_ that!" He willed his heart to go back into his chest where it belonged as he looked at Daisy sitting backwards in his desk chair. "How'd you get in here?"

"Justin let me in on his way to work." She folded her hands into her lap. "We need to talk."

"Daisy, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, I'm still kinda hung over, and I haven't showered. It can wait."

"No, see that's where you're wrong. It's been waiting since May and if this goes on any longer, it'll be waiting until you walk out in front of a bus. Because that's pretty much how well you're dealing with this."

"Dealing with what?" He muttered as he started to climb up to his bed.

"Why did you and Virgil stop talking?"

He froze. Without even looking at her, he said "I've told you, it's…"

"None of my business, I know. Trust me; it's an old song and dance by now. But guess what…I'm making it my business."

"Well, don't."

"Look, what you don't seem to get is that _you_ are my business. And since Virgil's also my friend, that makes _him_ my business as well. So this whole stupid scenario falls under the realm of _my business_! Okay, you're doing really well in school but that is the only place you're doing well at all! " Daisy glared at him as she stood up. "You never joke around anymore…I can't even remember the last time I saw you smile. And I mean a _real_ smile - not just those fake things you've been doing for the past few months or so. You barely talk, you aren't sleeping…and don't get me started on how stupid you were last night! It's like you're falling to pieces!"

Richie rolled his eyes. "God, are you going to tell me I'm not eating enough, too?"

"Now that you mention it, you have lost some weight. Which, trust me, you did not need to do. And I don't think you've gotten a haircut since we left Dakota." She shook her head angrily. "You haven't been yourself since Prom, and it's only getting worse as this goes on." She noticed that he stiffened at the word Prom. "You think I didn't notice how the guy you left with looked like Virgil?"

He closed his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Too damn bad, because we're gonna." She crossed her arms. "You have been totally not yourself since that night, and I'm pretty sure it's because of the fact that you and Virgil don't talk anymore. So, time to fess up. What happened?"

He shrugged, stepping back onto the floor. "We had a fight. It was bad. We stopped talking."

It bothered her that Richie having barely any inflection in his voice was starting to become normal. "Okay, smartass, I already know that. How about you try telling me the details this time?"

He started to retort when he noticed the deep concern under the irritation. She suddenly reminded him a lot of Sharon.

God, he missed Sharon.

Lacking the energy to protest, Richie just sighed and sat on the floor. "It all started the week before the Prom...Virgil and I were at his house watching a movie, and I told him about where I was going to go to school. He started saying stuff about how I couldn't come out here and he wouldn't give me a reason why. We started arguing and he got on me about Simon and how much he hated him. And then the next thing I knew, he was kissing me."

"He kissed you?" Her eyes were huge.

"Yeah, he did. It was…well, at first I was just confused. But then I just…I don't know. It felt…" He trailed off. "I don't think I have words for how it felt. But then I realized that I was making out with Virgil and there was Simon…well, it didn't seem real somehow. So I panicked and left."

"Uh-huh." She furrowed her brows. "Well, what happened after that?"

"After…well, we spent the whole next week not talking about it and acting like nothing had happened. At school, when we'd be out...uh, when we'd be hanging out…we didn't talk about it. And I managed to not think about it. The next thing I knew…it was Prom night…"

-----

_Despite everything, everyone managed to have a great time at dinner and the dance. There was no stress, they had fun taking their pictures, Mrs. Goren had cried...it had just been an overall great evening. They danced practically the whole night, just generally having a great time. Towards the end of the Prom, Richie had taken a moment to go to the restroom and also to have a second to breathe. He turned the faucet off, reaching for a paper towel to dry his hands._

_"So...are we going to talk about it? Or just pretend it never happened?"_

_"Bro', you just scared the shit out of me!" He glared at Virgil's reflection in the mirror. Tossing the towel into a nearby trashcan, he asked "Talk about what?"_

_He thought he saw a wounded expression pass over Virgil's features, replaced by resignation. Virgil bit his lower lip and shrugged. "Okay." As he turned to leave, he grabbed his hand._

_"Wait." Their eyes met. "Why'd you do it? Why did you kiss me?"_

_Virgil shrugged. "Why'd you kiss me back?"_

_He opened his mouth, shutting it quickly. "I asked you first."_

_"I..." Virgil looked at his hand, still in his grip. He did the same and let go, ignoring how something about it felt like a loss. "I...I don't know. I have no explanation."_

_"If you say so," Richie shrugged._

_"What...what about you?"_

_He tensed. "What...about me?"_

_Virgil moved closer and he didn't back away. The air was heavy and thick between them. "I don't exactly remember you fighting me every step. Why'd you kiss me back?"_

_"It was a mistake." He licked his lips nervously. "I was...you caught me off guard. I was confused and...it was just a mistake."_

_"Right." Their eyes were still locked on each other's. "So...if I...if it happened again...you saying you wouldn't do anything?"_

_"I...what...?" Of all the things in the world or Virgil to say, that had not been what he was expecting to hear._

_"If I kissed you again, you wouldn't react." Virgil's hands found his again and he was pulled dangerously close._

_"I..." All he could do was swallow nervously. He didn't want Virgil to kiss him. He was really hoping Virgil wouldn't kiss him._

_Virgil kissed him._

_Instead of frantic, this kiss was slow and warm and sweet like honey. It wasn't a fantasy. It was real, probably the most real thing to ever happen to him. He placed both of his hands on Virgil's face, taking control and slowly backing them into the wall. Virgil slid his hands up under his jacket, un-tucking the shirt to caress the skin of his back. They took their time tasting each other, this connection being the only thing that mattered to either of them._

_It was the type of kiss that could change a person's plans. Or something even simpler, like their mind._

----

"Well, that explains where you guys were for those fifteen minutes," Daisy said dryly. "But that can't possibly be why everything is so messed up."

"It's not…it…" He chewed his bottom lip. "To understand the rest, I have to give you the back story. So anyway, I left the bathroom after a while and went back to Simon. And Virgil went back to Frieda, but he kept looking at me the whole night. This look, it was like…like he wanted to ask me to dance, or kiss me again or something but he wouldn't let himself. And I acted like I didn't see it, but then when we got back to Frieda's for the big bash he disappeared after like three minutes. So I made up some excuse and left, because he had been right, we did need to talk…"

-----

_He had walked around for a while, trying to think of where Virgil could possibly be. He knew he wouldn't go home…coming back before it was time to go to church would raise too many questions with Sharon and his dad. That left the gas station. _

_His gambit had paid off because there was Virgil, laying on the couch and using his green hoodie as a pillow. _

_"You left early."_

_"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the party with everyone else?" At some point, Virgil had removed his entire tuxedo save for the shirt, slacks, and socks. _

_"Well, I was looking for you. Just wondering why you ran out of there so fast." _

_Virgil sat up, a resolved look on his face. "Felt like being alone. Had stuff to think about, you know how it is." _

_He stared him for a moment. Typically when Virgil was confused, he'd either go blow off steam in the junkyard or they'd talk out his feelings together. The whole brooding thing was…well, more like Bruce than anyone else. But definitely not like Virgil. _

_"Anything you wanted to…" Virgil cut him off. _

_"I've been sitting here since I left Frieda's. There've been a lot of thoughts swimming around my head, Richie, for a long time now. **A lot**. I've been mixed up, because I don't feel right anymore. At least…I don't when you're gone. My feelings…there are so many of them and they're so…they're so big, I feel like I could explode. And I think…no wait I know…there's only one thing all of this could mean." Virgil sat up and locked eyes with him. "I love you."_

_He felt like he was being gripped by something from the inside out, and it shook him. "No, you don't."_

_"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do. I mean, you know everything about me; you've always been there for me. And I've always been there for you and I know everything about you. I'm in love with you…I think maybe I've **always** been in love with you. Like I was born loving you and just had to wait until you came along."_

_He started to back away, as if he thought Virgil was going to attack him. "I don't need to hear this."_

_"You like pineapple on your pizza. You tell people your favourite movie is Kill Bill but it's really Spy Kids. You wear glasses because you hate sticking things in your eyes. You always get a Coke with no ice at Burger Fool. Your favorite color is yellow. You hate Coldplay. You're allergic to bleach and perfumed laundry detergents. You have an irrational fear of Mr. Rogers. You leave wet towels on the floor after you shower. You got your ear pierced right before freshman year. Your favorite song is "All Falls Down." You still avoid stepping on cracks because of that saying about breaking your mother's back. You…your eyes change their shade depending on what shirt you wear...but they're…they're always beautiful. You're a part of me, as much as my arm or torso or…or my heart. How could I **not** love you?"_

_His jaw clenched and he shook his head. "This is such bullshit."_

_"No, it isn't. I love you…I'm in love with you. It's not bullshit."_

_"What are you talking about? This whole situation is bullshit! You decide **now** that you can't live without me? You couldn't have realized this when it **mattered**?"_

_"When it mattered? What are you...?" Virgil trailed off. "Did…you used to… You had feelings for me? Why didn't you ever say anything?"_

_"Why should I have? You'd have either stopped talking to me or just felt sorry for me."_

_"You can't know that. Maybe I would have realized things sooner. Maybe we'd be together instead of…you just **can't** know that."_

_He crossed his arms angrily. "No actually, I can. I mean, you made it obvious that there was no way you'd ever want me in a million years."_

_"How did I do that?" He shook his head. "Because of Daisy right? Because I'm 'straight' or whatever? Is that what you mean?"_

_"Well, that's part of it. Are you saying you're not?" He actually was curious to hear the answer, as that part of the equation hadn't even crossed his mind._

_Virgil shrugged. "Maybe I'm not worried about your anatomy. Maybe I'm only worried about following my heart."_

_He snorted. "Whatever. The point is you've made it pretty damn clear you wouldn't have feelings for me, regardless of me being a guy. So why should I have waited for something that wasn't going to happen?"_

_"What are you talking about? You never even brought it up...I had no clue until just now! When did I ever…?" He saw the realization in Virgil's eyes. "The day you came out to me. I…I made that stupid joke…"_

_There was a long pause._

_"It wasn't a joke to me," Richie said softly._

_"Yeah. Yeah, I see that now." Virgil sighed, clearly wanting nothing more at that moment than the power to kick his own ass. "I'm sorry."_

_"For?"_

_"For that…I mean…I mean I broke your heart, right?" Virgil was definitely wishing to kick his own ass._

_"Yeah." His voice was resigned. "Yeah, you did. But that's in the past…I was hurt, but I'm still here, V. I got over it."_

_Virgil's voice, meanwhile, was defeated sounding. "You mean…you got over me."_

_"Same difference." He shrugged. "The point being, it's too late, Virgil. I don't…I'm not in love with you anymore. I've moved on."_

_"See but…I don't think that's right. You…don't kiss me like you've moved on…"_

_He couldn't help but tense again. "I said I don't have feelings for you, I didn't say I'm made of stone. If a good looking guy starts making out with me, I'm gonna respond."_

_Virgil raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the backwards compliment, but I really don't think that's it. I mean…I don't have a whole lot of experience to go from but I know when something's just physical and when it's not. And…it's not with us."_

_"What are you getting at?"_

_"I'm just making sure…you're positive you don't still have any feelings for me?"_

_This conversation was starting to go in circles and he was starting to get worn out. "I told you, no I don't."_

_"Because you're in love with Simon?"_

_He blinked. "Why do you keep doing that? He has nothing to do with this."_

_"I keep 'doing that' because he actually has a lot to do with this. Are you in love with Simon?"_

_His voice came out tired and somewhat sad. "Why are you asking me this?"_

_"It's a yes or no question, Rich. Are you in love with him?"_

_Quietly, he replied "I don't…I haven't really thought about it."_

_"So that's a no." Virgil crossed his arms._

_"I said I have to give it thought, not 'no, I don't love him.' There's a difference."_

_"Actually, no there isn't. Because love…it's not something you think about, it's something you just **do**. You don't think about breathing. You don't think about digesting your food. And you don't think about being in love. It's something ingrained into your soul. Just…just like loving you has been ingrained into mine. That's probably why I didn't see it for so long…it's not something I thought about or controlled. And just like I didn't see it, you think you can turn it off. You think that because you told yourself that I wasn't…worth waiting for, that that makes it so. But it's not that easy." Virgil had closed some of the distance between them. "Are you scared that I'm going to hurt you again? Is that it? You're scared?"_

_"I'm not scared."_

_"I hurt you and you told yourself to move on. Loving me and being hurt by me scared you so badly---!"_

_"I'm not scared!"_

_"---That you felt you had to hide from it. You got a boyfriend, someone you like but at the same time you're safe because he won't hurt you like I did. Because you don't love him. You ran away, told yourself it's not worth being hurt over. Except now you know that it was! That you were wrong and you can't deal with it, so you're scared and you're hiding and running away again!"_

_"**I'm not scared**!" He yelled. "I know how I feel, which you don't seem to **get**! I'm sorry that you were too blind to see what was right in front of you until it was gone, but God damn it **stop this**! Stop bossing me around! Stop nagging me! Most of all, **stop telling me how to fucking feel**! I said I **don't** love you! God, just **get over it **already!" _

_There was silence in the room as both of them absorbed what he just said. He felt nothing but shame for his words and when he looked at Virgil, his heart broke from all of the anguish he saw on his face. At the pain that filled Virgil's eyes. _

_Pain that was there because of him. _

_He had just done irreparable damage to the one person who he needed more than anyone with a few words. There was a huge gap between them now, and he felt like he wanted to jump into it, because really how could he live with himself? _

_"Okay. I get it." Virgil's hands and voice were shaking. "It's not about fear, right? It's…I waited too long. So I have to live with it. I understand." He took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. "I hurt you, so now you hurt me. Eye for an eye, right?" _

_He stayed silent. Because…maybe there had been something to that. _

_Virgil laughed, but it came out choked and humorless. "Funny part is...I never thought you'd be so cold, Rich. Maybe…maybe I never knew you as well as I believed." _

_"Virgil…" _

_"You know…I don't think I have anything else to say to you. And I know I don't want to hear anything that you have to say to me. So how about I just save you the trouble of playing the coward, and I run away this time." Virgil grabbed his jacket and shoes as he headed towards the door. _

_"Wait…Virgil…please…" He knew he was begging, but he really didn't care. Some things were more important than pride, and one of them was walking away from him. Probably for good. At the door, Virgil stopped for a moment. He seemed like he was going to turn around, but at the last second he kept walking, slamming the door behind him. _

_His legs gave out on him and he sank to the floor. His chest hurt so much, it was hard to breathe, and he saw that now his hands were shaking. He was a monster…he was the worst kind of monster. And he could only ask himself one thing as he sat, alone now in more ways than one. _

_"What have I done?"_

----

"So that's it. I fucked up, I didn't think things through...and do you want to know what the really bad part is? The thing that promises that he'll never be able to forgive me?" His voice was hoarse from talking, but the tone of it was an open wound.

Too busy trying to absorb everything she had been told, Daisy could only nod.

"He was right." His laugh was bitter, sad, and hysterical all at once. "About everything...he was completely right. I did take the easy way out by never telling him. I did think I could control who I loved. I was scared that he'd hurt me again. And I never really stopped loving him, but I just didn't want to see it...because it hurt too much to think about. I run away from my problems, I do, because it seems so much easier than actually taking a risk. And...well which is worse? Taking something for granted? Or just being a coward?" He took his glasses off, staring at them in his lap. "I've never liked being wrong, and I like it even less since...a couple years ago. Not only was I wrong about myself...but it caused me to hurt the one person I've always put ahead of anyone else. And...it's just...it's for the better that we don't talk. That we don't try to be friends. Because...all I'd do is make him remember how much damage I've done. All I'd do is...hurt him more."

There was a long pause.

"Or you could be surprised." Her voice was quiet, yet light-hearted. "He could forgive you, give you a second chance. And maybe over time..." She took his hands in hers, setting his glasses aside. "You need to talk to him."

"Didn't you hear me? I don't...he won't want that. Besides...he doesn't owe me anything. Not after that."

"He won't want your apology? Or are you just too afraid of him telling you off to give him one?"

He didn't answer.

"Richie, haven't you learned anything from this?" She sighed. "If you go to Virgil and try to make amends, he very well could slam a door in your face. And I gotta tell you that after what you said, I think he's earned that right. But he might be happy to see you...he might even _forgive_ you. But _you will never know until you try_. If it works, then that's great. If it doesn't...well at least you know where things stand. At least you put it out there."

He finally looked at her, and in his eyes she saw sorrow and not a little fear. Underneath all of that, though, she saw the determination.

"You're right. It's...I need to grow up. I need to take responsibility for what I did. And...that means letting Virgil tell me to fuck off, if he wants." He didn't smile, but he looked far less hopeless.

"Good. Now what about the other part." She let go of his hands, folding her arms across her chest.

"What other part?" He looked younger without his glasses, she noticed. Younger and more vulnerable.

"The part where you all but admitted to me that you've never stopped being in love with him at all, and how you so obviously need him to be in your life."

"Oh. That." He ran his fingers through his hair, shrugging as he did so. "I just...well, yes. Yes, I am, and yes I do. But...that's not going to happen now. I blew it, remember?" That sad tone was back in his voice. "If he forgives me, maybe we can be friends again. But...that's all I think I can expect."

Daisy sat with a thoughtful look on her face, seemingly mulling something over. Maybe it was because she had been conferring with Frieda on the subject, but she didn't think things were that cut and dry. "Okay. Did you ever wonder why I gave up on Virgil?"

Richie raised an eyebrow. "Because you got sick of him being unreliable all the time and standing you up every two minutes?"

"No…well okay, yeah that was part of it." Hey, if she was being honest she had to be _completely_ honest here. "But that wasn't the real reason. The real reason is that…well…I really didn't want to be the girl that couldn't catch a clue, you know?"

"Actually, I have no idea what you're talking about."

She narrowed her eyes. "Okay, then let me try again. I was completely unwilling to be that girl who was so caught up in herself that she kept getting in between the two people who actually belonged together."

"You're not in between Virgil and Frieda. That's ancient history." She stared at him for a moment. She then reached her right hand out and slapped him upside the head.

"Ow! What the shit, Daisy?"

She slapped him again.

"Would you stop hitting me?" He angrily rubbed his scalp.

"Not until you pull your head out." She glared at him. "You moron…I'm talking about Virgil and _you_."

He was silent for what seemed like a long time. "Daisy...I...I really don't think that's true anymore. I mean...if he still wanted to be with me, then he'd have tried to talk to me or asked about me or _something_ by now. Instead, it's like...like I never existed." Richie exhaled slowly and somewhat shakily. "If he wanted me...he wouldn't have walked away."

"Unless he's as scared and hurt as you are. Unless he's been thinking the exact same thoughts about you all this time." She shook her head. "Richie, again, you never know until you try. I'm not saying the second you see him, propose to him or something. I'm saying..._don't give up_. You love him, right?"

He nodded.

"Then that means he's worth fighting for, right?"

He nodded again.

"Well, then, that settles it." She smiled at him, and he couldn't help but brighten up a little. Daisy had that affect on people. "When we get back to Dakota on Wednesday, you talk to him. And you don't take no for an answer, you hear me? If you have to hold him hostage, do it. But don't let him shake you until you've told him the truth about everything. And I mean _everything_. It won't be pretty if I find out you held back, got it?"

"Yeah. I got it." He reached out and they hugged for a long time. When they broke apart, he kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Dais. I just...I mean...thanks."

"You're welcome. Just...go take your shower now. Because...ew. You smell like a frat house." She waved her hand rapidly in front of her face, causing Richie to roll his eyes.

"Whatever." But he did get up to go take a shower. And to plan out his strategy for Wednesday, which didn't take very long because he had the perfect way of finding Virgil already.

Maybe A.I. had been a terrific idea after all.

-----

Static cursed as he took a corner, chasing an armored car. A group of gang members had managed to steal it while the driver was in a bank filling a change order, and he was hot on their tails. He had almost succeeded in catching them, when the back doors opened and some of the thugs began throwing bags of money into the street, causing other motorists to swerve.

_Oh, fuck me._ Static shook his head as he quickly moved to aid the cars in not crashing into each other. He managed to successfully stop several head-on collisions when he realized the truck was rapidly getting away. And that was when it happened.

A streak of white and green zoomed past his vision, and he heard the squeal of tires and a crash. Something had wrapped around the truck's tires, causing it to crash into a light pole.

_What?_

"Next time you guys want to rob a bank and get away with it, maybe you ought to...I dunno...try a less flashy means of transportation?"

The robbers started to run, but were wrapped in similar metal to what was around the wheels of the truck.

_Wait...what? Am I...this can't be real...can it?_

The figure turned to face him. His uniform was the same, including the green and white overcoat that he wore in the wintertime. The hair was longer - a _lot_ longer - and it looked like he was thinner. But when he saw the tentative smile behind the green glass, Static knew he wasn't hallucinating.

"Yo, Static," Gear said. "It's been a while."

-----  
_The lonely one offers his hand too quickly to whomever he encounters._  
-----


End file.
